


Then Sweet Oblivion (Or Another Round of Tense Anticipation)

by LasciviousPeach



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex does not cheat on Thomas!!, Alex is a mega douchebag, Alternate Universe - Office, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Language, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Infidelity, John deserves better, M/M, Sex, There is a wedding!, and a happy ending!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-05-01 12:35:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14520696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LasciviousPeach/pseuds/LasciviousPeach
Summary: Alexander stands at the alter in his tux, wondering how in the hell he got in this situation. He figures most grooms worry about their bride getting cold feet or the weather turning sour, but here he is - looking at his fiance - and wishing he was marrying a man standing in the crowd.Now Completed





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Compared to my last story, this one is going to be pretty short. But I've poured so much effort, time, and tears into it that I think you all will enjoy it regardless. It's already finished so updates every Sunday and Wednesday!
> 
> Please let me know what you think! I love hearing from you all!!
> 
> Title comes from "Love's a Gun,"

There are rumors swirling around the office for weeks before Alexander really begins to take notice. They are just muted whispers over coffee in the lounge or by the water cooler, when the rest of the employees take too many undeserved breaks. There are whispers here and there about, “A new transfer from out of state,” and “Another senior director.” 

Alexander takes these whispers with a grain of salt. He has been with Washington since the beginning. The reality of the matter is that he and George had practically built this company up from the ground, and surely George would at least consult him before bringing on another senior director. There are only three at the moment, and Alex cannot see another one being added without, at the very least, a meeting. Besides, he does not see why they would need to add another member anyways. Between Washington, Knox, and himself all matters of administrative business were completed effectively and efficiently. He is pretty sure that adding to it would only take away from their productivity.

He does not bother listening to the rumors - least of all participate in them - until he stops by the office’s lounge and finds a group of employees gossiping at the table closest to the coffee machine. Alexander rolls his eyes and focuses his attention on the rapidly filling pot, and wishes for what must be the one millionth time that he remembered to bring his headphones. He stands in front of the machine and crosses his arms across his chest, hoping to give off the most unapproachable vibe he can muster. The majority of the people ignore him, like usual, with the exception of John Laurens. 

Alexander had really been hoping not to talk to anyone, but John is so endearing that it is hard to feel annoyed when the man walks up to join him at the counter. 

“Good morning, Alex,” John says, his voice light and cheery. Alexander glances up at him from the corner of his eye and smiles as discreetly as he can. John is cute. He is just a few inches taller than Alexander, a smattering of freckles all over his youthful face, and his wildly beautiful curls tied back in a low ponytail. John’s cheeks are flushed red and his smile is so wide that Alexander cannot help but smile back. 

“Good morning, John.” He does not miss the way John somehow seems to smile even wider at his acknowledgment.

Alexander eyes the coffee machine carefully and tries to estimate how much longer he has to wait before he can grab a cup of Joe and excuse himself. John - who seems to be attempting to figure out how much of Alexander’s time he can steal - hurries them into a conversation. “We were just talking about Thomas. Has Washington told you anything about him?”

And that is the first thing John has ever said that really gets his attention. Alexander glances back up and arches an eyebrow, “Who is Thomas?” 

John ducks his head a little and glances away from Alexander’s eyes, “The new transfer. I heard his name was Thomas something. I think Jefferson, but don’t quote me on that. I heard he is from Virginia.”

More of this transfer shit? Alexander still does not believe it, but he can admit that it is unlikely John would have so much information about this Thomas guy if it was just another story Charles Lee pulled from his ass to stir up trouble. 

Alex hums under his breath, “Well I cannot say Washington’s mentioned it, but you know how much I can zone out when I am working.” Alexander says sweetly, casting an over bright smile in the younger man’s direction as the coffee machine finally stops spewing brown liquid. He grabs the pot and fills his mug with an unholy amount. He had expected John to return to his seat, but when he finishes, the man is still standing next to Alex with his eyes on the floor. 

Alexander coughs to get John’s attention back on him and then offers him a stiff smile, “I should get back to my office. Washington’s given me a lot of files to get through,” 

John’s smile is sympathetic as he nods, “See you, Alex.”

He really prefers that people he is not close to call him by his last name, but who can fault him for loving the way his nickname sounds when it is dipped in John’s South Carolina accent?

Alexander wraps his hands around the mug, the warmth from the coffee flooding into his fingertips. He walks past his office and knocks twice on Henry Knox’s office door before stepping inside. He lets the door shut with a click behind him and sits on the plush brown chair across from Knox’s desk. 

“Hamilton, can I help you with something?” Knox asks, his voice sounding as dreary and tired at eight in the morning as it does at eight in the evening. If it was not for Washington’s constant reminder to try not to be completely rude all of the time, Alexander would be begging the guy to retire. However, he does understand why Knox is reluctant to make that decision. Vernon Industries has not even hit mid peak yet, and there is not really anywhere else to go but up. The working conditions are great, if you can ignore the fact that Washington hired the least competent administrative director to exist. (Fuck you, Charles Lee., then it was unlikely to get a different job this amazing elsewhere. Alexander hates Charles Lee though and so does Knox, as well as the rest of the company. The pay is good though, and Washington is a decent man whose easy enough to please. (The standards he sets for Alexander are never as high as Alexander’s standards for himself.) He really does wish Knox would just do them all a favour already and leave, so at the very least Alexander doesn’t have to wince every time he hears his grating and exhausted voice. 

“Was there a senior board meeting that I missed?” Alexander asks, his tone purposely light. He has learned by now that being testy with Knox is going to get him nothing but another annoying lecture. He instead, takes the simpler route, and puts off a vibe of polite indifference. Which, in his current mood, is the nicest thing he can muster. 

Knox glances up from under his thick wire framed glasses and frowns, “Not unless George is having the meetings with just himself, which is unlikely. Why do you ask?”

“I have been hearing rumors about a new senior director. A transfer named Thomas Jefferson from Virginia. Have you heard anything?”

Knox rubs his chin in contemplation, and glances towards the window on his left. He knows the gesture means Knox is probably going to take awhile to answer, and Alex can barely resist the urge to punch himself in the face and put himself out of his misery already. 

“I don’t think George has mentioned anything. Have you been listening to the interns again? You know how quickly rumors fly down there.”

John is not a senior director, but by no means is he anything close to an intern. Alexander considers him a relatively reliable source. 

“I don’t know Knox, I got it from a good source. He is usually right about this kind of thing.” Alexander lies easily, nothing like this has ever happened before. Alexander and Knox were chosen as senior partners from the get go. They were here throughout what most technology companies call “The Revolution”, which was when technology made the major jump in effectiveness and reliability. They have been here a long time, and Alex was not planning on leaving anytime soon. 

Knox frowns as he removes the glasses from his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose, “I don’t know, Alexander. Whatever Washington decides, he will tell us eventually. He is the boss.”

_ Eventually _ . Alexander didn’t want to know eventually, he wanted to know now. 

The answer to his not quite a problem yet is given to him on the twentieth of March in the form of an email.  _ An email _ . Alexander just skims through it, until his eyes catch on the words, “Thomas Jefferson Senior Director Head of foreign affairs.”

His mouth drops open as he looks at the words. So the rumors were true then? He rereads the email more thoroughly and cannot help the anger that surges through his veins as he reads the words. Thomas Jefferson has not even been in the states for the past three years, why in the hell is he getting a top position at their company?

Logically, Alexander knows that Washington has a good reason. After reading the rest of the email more thoroughly, he realizes that Thomas does have plenty of experience as a foreign diplomat and there is no doubt that he will be an incredible asset, but it still pisses him off that Washington did not even bothering speaking about this to him before he made the decision.

He rolls his eyes when he sees the small message at the bottom, requesting a senior director meeting at five o’clock sharp. So Washington decides that now is a good time to call a meeting, but he could not have called one to discuss, say a new senior director? He glances at the clock and pulls his green suit jacket over his shoulders. If he leaves now, he will be a few minutes early, but it will give him time to appraise the new guy and to finish his new plan for the Treasury Department. 

He packs his laptop in his satchel and grabs the lukewarm coffee off his desk with a frown, before hip bumping his way out the door. The office is surprisingly quiet for once, all the interns must have been scared away. Thank God, Alexander really does not want to deal with them at the moment. He just needs to get this damn meeting over with so he can finish this proposal and prove to Washington once again that he deserves this position just as much as some Southern hillbilly. 

He spots Washington walking - more like marching - down the opposing corridor and rushes to hold the door to the meeting room open for him. Alexander might be a dick, but he knows that a little brown nosing never hurt anyone. Washington grunts a thank you and straightens his black jacket. He is an imposing figure, and Alex can understand why all the interns cower in fear when their boss approaches. 

They are just lucky that they have never been subjected to his temper. 

Alexander follows behind his boss, feet quick paced against the wood floor. He pulls out the chair adjacent to Washington’s and drops his bag against the desk. It falls with a startling sound and Knox jumps from where he sits directly across from Alexander. The man needs to be careful before he does something stupid, like has a heart attack. He takes his seat and pulls out his laptop, determined to get to the fourth subsection of his proposal before Thomas arrives. 

He starts back up from where he left off, typing away on his keyboard. His fingers fly quick over the keys and he is halfway through his third subsection when the door opens and Alexander glances up. 

His first thought is, “Fuck that is Thomas?” which was quickly followed by, “Hot damn.”

Thomas Jefferson steps into the room, pure unadulterated confidence oozing from his every pore. He is a gorgeous man. Even though Alexander’s sitting down, he can guarantee that the man will tower over him. He has dark skin for miles and tight black ringlets that spread around his head like a halo. His eyes are dark and calculating, eyebrow quirked, and a confident smirk pulling at his lips. 

His clothing choice is… unusual. He is wearing a magenta suit. The jacket is tight enough to accentuate the curve of his shoulders, and falls down to the back of his toned calves. Alexander swallows around his suddenly dry throat and rises from his seat. 

He rushes towards the other man and thrusts out his hand, paying little attention to the fact that he interrupted Washington. 

“Alexander Hamilton, Directory of the Treasury.” He says in his most politely calculated voice, “Nice to meet you.”

Thomas’s hand is firm and unyielding in his own and the other man raises his eyebrow higher and says, in a voice that sounds almost mockingly, “Thomas Jefferson.” 

Alexander can feel the man’s eyes appraising him, judging him, and he pulls his arm away. Washington’s quick to step up beside him and greet the other man in a tone much warmer than Alexander’s ever heard him from him. He resists the urge to scream and instead, curls his hands into fists and drops back down into his seat. Alex returns to his work, typing drearily as Knox, Washington, and Jefferson all make boring small talk. He has never been good at small talk, never had the confidence or the politeness to think it was worth his time. He could write three whole paragraphs - complete with sources - in the same amount of time he could talk to someone about the weather. Given how short of a life he thought he would have, it seems like the choice was fairly obvious. 

Eventually, Washington takes his seat and Thomas and Knox follow suit. Thomas takes the seat next to Knox and Alexander tries - and fails - to hide the distaste that must be creeping up on his face. 

“Now that introductions have been made, I would like to formally welcome Thomas to the team. He’s going to be a vital part of this company, and I know he will accept and complete his tasks in foreign affairs with both grace and dignity.”

Alexander must let out a scoff or something, because Washington’s sharp gaze is suddenly pointed in his direction. He purses his lips together, looks away, and pretends like he did nothing wrong. He can admit, though, that he is still not sure why the hell Jefferson is here in the first place. As an up and coming technology company, they do not have much foreign interest, and while Alexander knows it is best for the company to get foreign investors as soon as possible to pay off their piles of debt, he does not think the task merits a senior director

Alexander leans back in his chair and folds his arms over his chest. He is not happy about Jefferson being here, but it could be worse. Jefferson could be a completely obnoxious, self entitled prick. He supposes he should count his blessings. 

//

Alexander was wrong. He was so wrong. The situation definitely could not be any worse because, as Alex finds out two hours after they meet, Thomas Jefferson is the very definition of a completely obnoxious self entitled prick. He might be really attractive, but God damn, the man is a fucking asshole. 

It all starts when Washington asks how Alexander’s proposal is going. 

“Pretty good, sir.” He replies with barely anything more than a glance up from his laptop, “I’m actually almost finished.”

He does not miss the pleased smile on his boss’s face or the way Jefferson raises his eyebrow, and  _ God _ that whole eyebrow thing is starting to piss him off. “What kind of proposal are you writing?” The new man asks, lacing his fingers together and resting his head on them. Alexander glances up, sees genuine curiosity in the man’s eyes, and no trace of malice. So he responds, “It’s a proposal for corporate to assume all the branches’ debt.” Alexander explains simply, “In the long run, it is going to make it easier to resolve the debt as a whole instead of each branch trying to pay it off individually.” 

Thomas’s face remains impassive, staring blankly at Alexander. He figures that probably means that like most people, the man is not interested in hearing the more intricate details of his proposal, so he looks back down at his laptop and continues typing. He has been typing for a couple of seconds when Thomas finally speaks. 

“That is probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard and, trust me, that’s not a titled I award lightly.”

Alexander’s fingers freeze over the keys and he looks up, definitely having heard Thomas wrong. “I’m sorry?” He asks dumbly. Out of all the things he expected Thomas to say or do, calling the proposal that Alexander had worked on for months stupid was not what he expected. 

“Why would you want to assume every branch’s debt?” Thomas questions, clicking his pen twice, “What about the branches that have already paid off their debt? Why should they have to pay even more to cover the ones that have not?” He pauses, “What about the branch in Virginia? The one I transferred from? The one that I helped pay off completely?”

Alexander feels fire course through his veins, thankfully remembering something one of the interns had offhandedly mentioned, “Paying off the debt with daddy’s money does not get you any credit or sympathy here, Jefferson.” He spits coldly, “We’ve heard the rumors. How many deals did you have to make under the table to get it paid off?”

Jefferson’s jaw tightens and Alexander knows he has struck a nerve. Washington sends Alex a pointed stare, but he ignores it in favour of listening to Jefferson’s response. “And what about you Alexander? Director of the treasury, do you really think we are dumb enough not to see what you are doing with this proposal? Assuming branch debt? Who do you think that benefits the most? Washington, the branches, me? No. It benefits you the most. People are losing their jobs and all you care about is fattening your own wallet.”

“That is not true.” Alexander spits and Jefferson rolls his eyes. 

He leans back in his chair, “If the shoe fits, wear it.”

Alexander clenches his hands into fists and narrows his eyes, “Why don’t you turn around, bend over, and I’ll go ahead and show you where my fucking shoe fits.”

“That is more than enough, Hamilton.” Washington interrupts their metaphorical pissing contest with the simple wave of his hand, “Go to your office.” He says like he is sending his son to his room. The analogy makes Alexander grit his teeth. He is not a child, and he is definitely not Washington’s child. 

Thomas is sitting in his chair with a pleased smile on his face that sets Alexander on edge and makes him want to consider homicide as a solution to his new problem. 

Instead, he holds his tongue, pushes his chair back, and grabs his laptop. Alex nods to Washington and turns towards the doors. He stops at the last moment to flip Thomas off over his shoulder, before the doors swings shut behind him. 

He starts making his way to his office, but decides to take a quick detour through the public relations department. Alexander does not bother knocking, he just opens the door and let’s his body drop onto the chair across from Angelica’s desk. 

She glances at him from over the top of her glasses and closes the manila folder she was reading. “Why do you look like you need a shot of tequila or a new place of employment?” 

Alexander groans in annoyance, just thinking about the new guy makes him want to punch something. “Thomas Jefferson.”

Angelica’s face morphs into a small smile, “You’ve finally met Thomas?”

He mutters an acknowledgement before he notices what she said. Alexander’s head snaps up and he stares at her, “You know him?” 

She chuckles softly and types something out on her phone, “Yes Alexander, I do know him. He came to one of dad’s parties awhile ago. He said something annoyingly sexist but I shut that train down really quick.” She locks her phone and sets it face down on her desk, “He is not that bad once you get to know him.” 

“He is obnoxious and he talks too much,”

She sends an amused smile his way, “Wow Alexander, that sounds like someone I know. Who knew you guys had so much in common?” 

He rolls his eyes but can’t help the snort of amusement that escapes him. He knows that he can be annoying, and yes, some people do think he talks too much, but to compare him to Thomas Jefferson of all people. 

“You can be such an ass, Ang.” Alexander groans, and she blows him a kiss. 

Her phone chimes on the desk and she picks it up to glance at the screen, “Eliza wants to make sure you are still coming to dinner tonight. She says she has good news to tell you.” 

“Tell her that I will be there and that I cannot wait to hear her good news.” Alexander says, watching as Angelica types out his message. She tucks a dark curl behind her ear and glances at him again. 

“I love your sister Angelica, I swear she is s an angel.” 

Angelica smile grows soft, likely because she knows how kind her sister is,“She is also married Alexander, so keep your hands off.” 

He holds his hands up in a surrendering motion, “A boy can dream, right?” 

Angelica laughs and like the mature adult she is, shoots him the middle finger, “Get out of my office, perv.” 

He is still laughing when the door shuts behind him. 

He likes Angelica. She is probably one of his closest friends, right behind Lafayette. There is something about her that makes him feel human, like he can be himself. He does not have to worry about offending her with his dry humor or blunt personality, because she gives back as good as he gives. When he is with her, he simply exists. No facades, no pretenses. He is just Alex. 

He feels the same way with Eliza, so he wonders if it might just be a Schuyler Sister trait. He has not had the pleasure of officially meeting Peggy yet, but he can assume that she will make him feel the same way. 

He walks to his office, purposely taking the long way when he sees John Laurens talking to an intern, effectively avoiding the two. It is not that he does not like John, because he does, the only problem is that he does not like John the same way John likes him. Eliza did not have the tell him about John’s crush for Alex to figure it out. The man was the exact opposite of subtle. Alexander was still friendly with him, he just did not want John to get any crazy ideas of things that would never happen. 

He ducks into his office at the same time that his office phone starts ringing. He drops his satchel onto the table and sits down on the front of his desk. He grabs the phone and holds it up to his ear, “Hamilton.”

“Mon Dieu, Alexander.” Lafayette’s voice greets him, “I thought you died or something. Jesus Christ, why do you even have a cell phone if you do not answer it?”

He pulls the said object out of his pants pocket and clicks the home screen. It stays black and unresponsive, “Sorry man it’s dead. I totally spaced and forgot to charge it last night.”

He hears an annoyed sigh on the other end of the phone, “Well I guess it does not matter since we are talking now. Adrienne and I think you should go out with one of our friends tomorrow night.”

“Like I said before, I am not interested in dating one of your friends, Lafayette, and please tell your girlfriend that my love life is none of her business.” 

Lafayette snorts, “ _ What  _ love life? When was the last time you went out instead of staying home to finish your work? When was the last time you had a date? For God’s sake Alexander, when was the last time you had sex with someone?”

He starts to reply, but then he realizes that he honestly doesn’t know _.  _ Sexual release is not really at the top of things he needs to do, and when the frustration hits him, his hand is usually enough to take care of the urge. 

“Exactly,” Lafayette says, accepting Alexander’s lack of response for an answer in itself. Alex does not really have a way to refute the claim, mostly because he cannot even remember the last date he went on. He thinks it might have been with one of Angelica’s friends, but he cannot remember for sure. 

“Lafayette,” Alexander starts but the man interrupts him. 

“Alexander my love,” Lafayette coos, “Please just think about it. Victor is a delightful man and I know you will have much in common.”

He hesitates for a moment, and upon finding no good reason to decline the offer, finds himself agreeing to go out with Victor tomorrow. 

“You can thank me at your wedding, Alexander dear.” Lafayette teases him and Alexander mumbles an annoyed agreement under his breath. 

“I have to go, but I will see you later.” Alexander tells him and Lafayette slips in a last, “Tell George I said hi!” before Alexander hangs up on him. 

His friend’s obsession slash friendship with his boss is kind of weird, but it does not affect him, and it seems to make Lafayette happy, so he is not going to bother. It seems like his boss is equally fond of Lafayette too, which kind of alleviates a little bit of the awkwardness. 

It is around six o’clock when Eliza’s insistent text messages finally convince Alex to leave work. She blows up his phone with pictures of her cat and pleads for him to hurry and leave so they do not miss their reservations. 

He puts his laptop in his bag and locks his office door behind him. He is still extremely careful about locking his office because his favourite pen went missing last month and he is not risking the chance that his new favourite one might meet the same fate. He puts his keys in his jacket pocket and fast walks towards the elevator. The doors are almost closed, but he manages to catch them at the last minute. 

He shoves his hand between the closing doors, and breathes a sigh of relief when they do not continue to close. They pull back open and Alexander’s met with the annoyed face of Vernon Industries newest senior director.

For a second Alexander considers being a petty child and turning around to take the stairs. But he did promise Eliza he would be at the restaurant at 6:30 and he really cannot afford to be late again. He sucks up his pride and steps into the elevator, purposely ignoring the other man beside him. 

The elevator ride is tense silence and Alexander pulls out his phone to stop himself from saying something stupid and getting himself fired. He hates that Washington is so far up Jefferson’s ass that Alexander would probably be the one let go if they got into it. 

The elevator chimes and Alex shoves his phone into his pocket and hurries out the doors. 

“Have a good evening, Alexander.” Jefferson says from behind him as Alex walks out. Alexander lets out a cruel laugh, “Fuck you too, asshole.”

It is not until he gets to his car that Alex realizes that Jefferson did not sound mocking or rude when he said that. It is almost as if he said it genuinely. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments keep me posting on track, and also give me faith that y'all are enjoying my stuff. I love you all forever and always.

Alexander pulls into the parking lot for Eliza’s favourite hole in the wall Italian restaurant at 6:28 sharp. He takes a minute to run his fingers through his hair and straighten his clothes before he climbs out of the car. The late March air whips around his body and Alexander pulls his jacket closer, the air chilling his body and making him uncomfortable. His fingers are numb by the time he reaches the door, so he shoves them in his pockets as a rather useless attempt to warm them up. He should know by now that the month didn't mean anything to the weather.

“How many, sir?” The hostess asks, smiling at him. He hums and then corrects her, “Actually I'm here with some other people. The reservation is either under Schuyler or Reynolds.”

The girl - who Alexander spends a solid minute checking out - scans the screen with a calculating look on her face. She is gorgeous, red lipstick and blonde hair pulled back into a bun at the back of her head. She has a smattering of freckles across her nose that are charming, and also remind him of John.

“Oh! Here it is. Reynolds, party of four?” She says, her eyes knowing and her cheeks flushed. Alexander curses himself at being caught staring so openly, and nods at her.

“Right this way then, sir.”

He follows behind her at what he hopes is a respectful distance as she escorts him to his table. Alexander sees Eliza first. She is wearing a light blue dress and has her hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. Angelica is the next person he sees, sitting across from Eliza in a peach blazer and a white button up shirt that has pineapples on it.

He thanks the waitress and greets the ladies at the table.

Eliza stands up to pull him into a hug, “Alexander! I am so glad you could come. I feel like I've not seen you in forever.”

He smiles at her, “Of course I came, and we really haven't seen each other in forever.” He turns to greet Eliza’s wife next, “It has been too long, it is nice to see you again.” Maria smiles at him, her lipstick a dark red that matches her dress. She pulls him into a hug and kisses him on the cheek, “Looking as handsome as ever, Alex.”

He grins at Maria and blows her a kiss. Eliza grins at the both of them, her cheeks pink and eyes shimmering with joy.

“Angie, nice to see you too.” Alexander says as he slides into the booth next to her.

She rolls her eyes and bumps him with her shoulder, “You were literally in my office an hour ago complaining.”

Eliza’s face morphs into a concerned expression, “Complaining? What were you complaining about? Is everything alright, Alex?” She reaches across the table to grab his hands. Her palms are small and warm compared to his own.

“Everything is fine, ‘Liza. There is just a new transfer at the office and we don't really get along.” Alexander explains, letting their fingers intertwine comfortable. He thinks that maybe in another world, they could have been something different.

The waitress interrupts Eliza’s next words, asking if they were ready to place their order.

“Oh yeah, I'll take the lasagna with a water and a coffee.” Alexander says, and he can almost hear Angelica rolling her eyes. The rest of the table orders, and before the waitress even walks away, Eliza’s eyes are back on him.

“Who's the new transfer?” She asks, voice low and her eyes scanning over his face.

Angelica answers before he has the chance, “It is Thomas Jefferson.”

Eliza and Maria’s eyebrows arch in sync, “Thomas.” Eliza says and Maria chimes in, “He was the one that I met the other night, right?”

“Yes that’s him.” Angelica says at the same time that Alexander growls out, “He is a stupid fucking dick.”

“I’m surprised you are not more fond of him, Alexander.” Maria begins, “from what I saw of him and what we talked about, I would think that the two of you would have a lot in common.”

Alexander crosses his arms over his chest and frowns, “We have nothing in common.” He spits with annoyance, “He is a self obsessed, narcissistic, asshole that wants to single handedly ruin Vernon Industries with his dumb conservative ideals.”

“Self obsessed and narcissistic are synonyms, are they not?” Angelica asks and Alex ignores her.

“I sincerely doubt he is trying to ruin a company that he has worked at for the past six years, Alexander.” Eliza says, her opinion - of course - being the logical one. It does not really make sense for Jefferson to try and destroy the place that puts the paycheck in his hands every two weeks. Maybe Jefferson just honestly thinks that keeping the branches separate is the best thing for the company. Which, in Alexander’s opinion, is the most ridiculous shit he has ever heard.

Even if Jefferson is not trying to destroy Vernon Industries, it does not mean his stupid opinions are not going to inadvertently lead to its collapse and fall.

He sees Eliza share a knowing glance with Angelica before she speaks again, “You know, Thomas is quite attractive and intelligent.”

He snorts at that. First off, Alexander is not blind. He knows that Jefferson is pretty much the definition of hot. He is like the literal human form of sex. The walking example of Alexander’s type. But he is also kind of an asshole.

“I don't know what you are getting at Eliza.” He lies even though he knows exactly what she is trying to say.

She clears her throat and casts a glance at her wife, “We are just concerned about you. When was the last time you went out and had fun?”

He starts to speak but she interrupts him, “With someone other than us, Lafayette, and Adri.”

“I already had this conversation once today, and I do not want to have it again.” Alexander pleads with them.

“We just want you to be happy Alex, and we know that all you do is work.” Maria says, agreeing with her wife, and Angelica nods too.

If he knew tonight was going to be an intervention then he would have stayed at home, or more likely - stayed at the office. He has slept in his office so many times, that he knows by now to keep an extra suit in his desk and the night cleaning staff knows him by name.

The waitress interrupts them before Alexander can say something horribly rude. She places their drinks down and then turns to another waiter behind her to grab the food from his tray. She puts down each of their plates and then slides a basket of bread sticks to the middle of the table. The waitress claps her hands together and flashes a grin at the table. “Is there anything else I can get you guys?”

Her gaze flickers back to Alexander and he smiles when her cheeks flush with colour when they meet eyes. “No I think we're good, _love_.” He puts the emphasis on the last word and feels a thrill run through his body when she blushes again and looks away from him.

“Okay enjoy your food then!” She says with a generous smile before she turns away, curly hair bouncing with each step she takes. Alexander looks after her with a smirk before shaking his head and turning to his food.

“Seriously Alex, flirting with the waitress?” Angelica murmurs sharply, her words a complete hypocrisy.

He throws his hands up in a frustrated motion, “Seriously Angelica,” He mocks her sharp tone, “You all were literally just giving me an intervention about my loneliness. Why do you get to pick who I alleviate it with?”

She narrows her eyes but doesn’t seem to have a response. Instead Eliza quickly changes the subject, “So why exactly do you not like Thomas?”

Alexander frowns at the mention of that asshole _,_ “He is just a dick. I don't think he has emotions. He is just trained to be a fucking dick all the time.”

Eliza quirks her lip just enough for Alexander to know that she’s got a plan. “Do you really know anything about him?”

He hesitates for a second, “I guess not, but”

She shoves her phone into his hands before he can finish explaining how he knows Jefferson is awful, even though he does not really know anything about the man.

“What-”

“It is his Facebook page.” Eliza says and Alexander chances a look at the phone. It is pulled open to the Facebook profile of the man Alexander hates. He looks at it and ignores the way Angelica’s probably glaring at him.

His profile picture is a tasteful photo of Jefferson talking into a microphone at what Alexander thinks was last year’s annual company brunch. His header is a photo of him and a girl that Alex does not know. He scrolls down a bit and finds a status proclaiming

 _Thomas Jefferson went from_ **_In a Relationship_ ** _to_ **_Single_ **

Alexander stares at the status change for a second, before he glances back at Eliza. She is talking quietly with Angelica, fingers carefully pulling apart the bread stick in her hand.

"Who was he dating?" Alexander asks. The question is directed mostly at Eliza, but he supposes that Maria and Angelica could answer if they know. Eliza raises a careful eyebrow and smiles, "Maria Cosway, I believe." She says, "It is the girl that is with him in his header picture. Thomas said they broke up when he moved."  
  
Alexander glances back at the phone screen and frowns. SHe is gorgeous. She has smooth dark skin, dark eyes that shine up at Thomas, and beautifully full hair that frames her face.  
  
He swallows and continues to scroll down the man's profile. There is a few tasteful photographs of what Alexander assumes are the rolling hills of Virginia. He keeps scrolling and sees a status from two weeks ago. It is not Thomas's status, but someone else's that tagged the man. Alex looks at the photographs that are in the album titled, "Thomas's Going Away Party". There is a couple of Thomas and Maria, a cake that says, “Goodbye Thomas”, and pictures of Thomas with people that Alex does not recognize. He assumes that they are the people from the Virginia branch.

The people in the photographs seem happy. Alex figures they don't like him, but are just happy that they are finally getting rid of the tyrant that's currently vexing him at every given moment.  
  
He sighs, annoyed at the thought, and locks the phone. He hands it back to Eliza and focuses his eyes on the table.  
  
"Does he seem more human now?" Maria asks him, her straw pressed harshly against her bottom lip. He does not really know how to respond to that, so he just shakes his head.

The waitress walks back to their table and drops off their food. Alexander sends her an extra flirty smile as she tops his dish of with a little extra cheese. Angelica stomps on his foot under the table, and he struggles to keep the wince contained. The waitress gives him a shy smile as she walks away, her hips swinging just enough to be considered purposeful. He bites his lip and fully takes advantage of the view she is offering.

Eliza clears her throat and his eyes snap back to her. “Enough about Jefferson. What else is going on with you? You have been so busy that we hardly have time to catch up anymore.”

He wishes he could feel guilty about making less and less time for his friends, but the truth of the matter is that he has things that cannot be put off. This dinner alone was a compromise. There are so many things that need to be done now, today, and he could have accomplished ten of them if he was not here in this restaurant. Eliza has this thing about her though, the incredible ability to make Alexander bend to her every whim. He has yet to figure out what exactly it is that makes him desperate to appease her, but he is determined not to disappoint her. He thinks it has to do with her kind nature, and the fact that even someone as assholish as Alexander cannot bear to take advantage of it.

He watches as she tastes her pasta, the silver ring on her fourth finger shining as the light hit it.

“Lafayette and Adrienne are making me go on a date tomorrow.”

He does not miss the way Angelica’s eyebrows practically jump off her forehead. “I am all for encouraging you to date Alexander,” Angelica begins, “but after the last person they set you up with, is it really a good idea to take their dating advice?”

Alexander frowns as he remembers that particularly painful date. She was cute. Blond, tall, and unfortunately an idiotic Republican. Alex cannot even begin to fathom why Lafayette was friends with her in the first place. He cannot even bring himself to feel bad about about ditching the girl halfway through the dinner. He is used to unpleasant company, but Jesus Christ this girl was the worst conversationalist. Alexander is always up for talking politics, but he does not need to spend his night off listening to a white girl talk about how gun control is a violation of our Constitutional rights.

“I know and I expressed my reluctance, but Lafayette was adamant that I would get along with this guy. You know how convincing he can be.” Alexander replies, “If it goes South I can always sneak out the back door again.”

Maria snorts at this and Alexander finds himself smiling at the women he is sitting with. Sometimes he gets so caught up in his life that he forgets to be grateful for the people who have consistently had his back.

He looks across the table and makes eye contact with Eliza. Alexander thinks that maybe, in another lifetime, he could have loved her as something more than this. As something good and whole. Maybe in another lifetime he would have been good enough for her. Somehow, he doubts it.

Her brow furrows as if she can somehow sense his self deprecation, but then she smiles this wide comforting smile, and Alexander sighs.

They end up staying at the restaurant for another half hour before Alexander requests the bill. He pays for everyone’s meal, despite Angelica’s arguments that she can handle it herself. He makes enough money, too much maybe, and it does not help that he has no one to spend it on but himself. He considers for a moment if he should get a dog or something.

He signs the receipt, quickly scrawling his telephone number below his loopy signature. Alexander hands it back to the waitress, making sure to flash her is sultriest smile in the hopes the she takes him up on his unspoken offer. At least that way, when Lafayette interrogates him on his sex life, he can at least remember who the last person he slept with was.

He kisses Eliza and Maria both on the cheeks, wishing them a safe drive back to their apartment, and promises them that he will clear his schedule so they can see each other more. Angelica offers to walk him out to his car, and he graciously accepts her offer.

She slides her grey pea coat on and wraps an orange scarf around her neck. Angelica links their arms and escorts him to his car.

“I think you should be open minded about Thomas.” She begins, “Despite whatever argument you have had, he is not a bad man. I think the two of you could do some amazing things for this company if you can sit down and compromise.”

Alexander scoffs, “Jefferson is the one that refuses to compromise.” He spits, “He is the one that completely destroyed my plan to relieve the company’s debt, and then did not even bother to offer up another solution. He is the definition of intransigent and he is going to ruin this company.”

Angelica is quiet for a bit, and then she sighs and tightens her grip on his arm. “Alexander, you just met him today.”

“Does knowing him for one day really change the fact that he is an idiot? Not only is he trying to ruin this company, Angelica, he is trying to ruin me. He is trying to ruin Washington.”

They walk out the doors of the restaurant, the wind whipping around their bodies and chilling Alexander to his core. The walk to his car is relatively short, and Angelica keeps it quiet. He knows by the look on her face that she’s trying to figure out the best way to say what she’s thinking. That is one of the biggest differences between the two of them.

Angelica is deductive. She can evaluate who she is talking to and develop the best course of action for getting her point across clearly and favourably. Alexander, on the other hand, just spits out whatever is at the top of his head. The first thing that comes to mind flies out of his mouth, regardless of the audience, the implications, or the consequences.

They stop in front of his car and Angelica turns to face him. She pulls her coat closer to her body and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Good luck on your date tomorrow, Alexander.” Angelica murmurs, her voice barely audible over the wind.

“Thank you, Ang.” He replies, his hand resting on top of her. “Text me when you get home.”

She leans forward to plant a single kiss on his cheek, before patting it with her hand, “Of course, although, if you were looking for some company tonight? I’d be much obliged.”

He can hear the seduction in her words and in the tone of her voice. Alexander cannot help but wonder if she has been feeling this all night. Pressed close together in the tight booth, sitting behind her desk at work. Her legs parted and a heavy heat settling between them. He hums, licking his lips as a hotness settles beneath his stomach, curving and flickering its way through his body.

“How about we take a trip back to your place?” He asks, stepping an inch closer. Her body was so close to his, so warm and near that he became dizzy with the need coursing through him.

Her lips pull tight over her teeth in a predatory smile, and she steps closer, closing the gap between them. Angelica leans up, capturing Alex’s lips in her own and kissing him softly, although her need bleeds through. 

She pulls back far enough for him to see the rawness of her lips, “What are we still doing here?”

He watches as she walks away, heels clicking like aggressive gunshots against the pavement with each step. He waits a second, before hurrying after her.

//

After stopping at Angelica's, Alexander gets back to his apartment at a quarter till nine that night. He takes a quick shower, shaves, and ties his hair up into a wet topknot. This thing he has with Angelica is nice. They fuck occasionally, always casual and always so damn satisfying. Alexander could never pursue anything more with her, thinking of her as his closest friend. Sex did not necessarily complicate it, but feelings would.

Alexander pushes the thoughts away as he lays in his bed and opens his laptop, pulling open the latest rough draft of his proposal. It is a good document. Alexander knows this, and yet as he looks over it, he can only imagine the holes Jefferson would be pointing out if he saw it.

He takes a deep breath, annoyed, and opens a brand new document. He labels it with sections and starts tearing his proposal apart sentence by sentence.


	3. Chapter 3

Alexander drags himself into work extra early the next morning, even by his own standards. The only other person there is Washington’s secretary, a middle aged woman named Margaret. He makes his way into his office, flips on the switch, and drops heavy into his seat. Alexander pulls his laptop out of his bag and opens his most recent - as of last night - draft of the Treasury proposal. He had completely dismantled the thing by two o’clock in the morning, and had spent the following two hours carefully recrafting it to avoid making the same stupid mistakes. This one is currently four pages longer than his last draft, and he has not even covered half of the points he was expected to make.

He keeps his nose to the metaphorical grindstone, cranking out three and a half pages more before he glances up from his notes. It shocks him to see the sunlight streaming through his window, and if he listens hard enough, he can hear the quiet murmur of people outside his office. It does not surprise him that so much time has slipped through his fingers, it instead surprises him that no one has bothered him yet.

Almost as if his words are a trigger of sorts, there is a soft but persistent knock on his closed office door. Alexander rubs  the exhaustion from his eyes and ties his hair back in a bun before calling out in a tired voice, “Come in.”

The door creaks open and John Laurens steps inside, balanced in his hands are two coffees and two takeout containers from the Chinese restaurant down the street. (The one that happens to be Alex’s favourite.)

The man smiles at Alexander and sets down one coffee and one takeout container on Alex’s desk before dropping into the seat across from him. Alexander raises an eyebrow at the food, “What’s this?”

John - whose already started eating -looks up from his takeout container, chopsticks poised between fingers, “I figured you probably have not eaten today. Now that Jefferson is here, we cannot have you passing out from starvation.”

“Do not mention him around me,” Alexander snaps a little too harshly, “I would not want to ruin my appetite.” He adds on as an afterthought, hoping he can lighten the harshness of his previous words.

The man across from him shifts in his seat and almost completely dismisses Alex’s hostility with a simple, “That is fair.” and the changes the subject, “What are you doing after work? Some of the guys and I are grabbing beers. First ones are on me if you want to join.”

Alexander takes a bite of his food and chews slowly- careful about how he phrases his next words, “Thanks for the offer, John, but I already have plans.”

“Who is special enough that you would turn down free beer?” John teases him, obviously expecting that Alex is going to stay at the office and finish working.

Alexander takes a sip from his coffee and sits it down on the table, “I actually have a date tonight.”

While true, it is not the only reason he refused John’s invitation. He is afraid that spending too much time together, like eating lunch in his office, is going to give John to wrong impression. Alexander is worried that John will think he reciprocates his less than subtle feelings - that is, if he has not already made the mistake of thinking that.

John goes still, his eyes frozen on his takeout box. He looks up slowly, eyes full of poorly hidden hurt. “That is great, Alex. I hope you have fun.” His voice sounds too cheery, a pathetic attempt to mask the sound of his strained embarrassment and pain.

Alexander can see right through the facade. He has had enough practice hurting people to recognize the look when he sees it. He can see the hurt in John’s eyes, can hear the pain radiating through his voice. It does not stop him from smiling widely and trying to plan out which response will hurt John the most, “Oh I plan to,” He says equally cheerful and falsely oblivious, watching as the man across from him tries to hide his more than obvious discomfort, “I am so excited. It is going to be the perfect date. We are going to this really cute restaurant on Main, I hear it is really romantic. Maybe if I am lucky I will be able to convince him to come back to my place and I will finally be able to get on my kne-”

“Oh shit,” John interrupts him and Alex looks at him blank, “I totally forgot that I have this thing I need to do.” He motions pathetically towards the door, “ But, uh, enjoy your lunch, Alex.” He hurries to excuse himself, taking his coffee and takeout and practically running out of Alexander’s office. The door swings shut behind him and Alexander finds himself staring after John, wishing he could feel guilty for being such an asshole. He should feel guilty, and he does feel guilty for not feeling guilty. If that makes any sense? Whatever, he is a senior director, he does not have time to worry about John’s feelings.

He finishes his chinese, throwing the plastic takeout box and cutlery into the garbage bin next to his desk, and turning his attention back to his bill. He reads over his last few sentences as he takes a sip from the coffee John brought him - peppermint, his favourite - and continues typing. Unlike some people, Alex cares about more important things than office relationships.

He is soon completely absorbed into his work once more, until one of the interns interrupts him, telling him that Washington needs to speak with him as soon as possible. Alexander, who is annoyed at being interrupted when he was so close to finishing his next page, snaps at the poor girl and sends her scurrying down the hallway in an attempt to get as far away from him as possible. Alexander shoves his chair back and briskly walks out of his office. He notices, on his way to the elevator, that John is absent from his desk.

Alexander catches the elevator at the last minute, thanking God that it is empty. He is already on edge, and he feels like the slightest thing could make him snap. He waits as the elevator groans to life and starts climbing floors. He walks into Washington’s office, trying his best not to flinch in anger when he realizes that the only reason Washington needs him is to get him to sign some lousy papers. He thinks about writing a pamphlet to inform his boss that they have interns for a reason.

He leaves the man’s office, feeling even more annoyed than he did before, when he turns a corner and runs directly into something tall and hard.

“Excuse me,” Thomas Jefferson says in that annoyingly Southern accent of his. He steps backwards, holding out a hand to help Alexander catch his balance. Once caught, Alexander rips his hand out of Thomas’s like it has been burnt. He straightens his clothes and frowns at the man in front of him. Thomas raises an eyebrow and greets him with his first name.

Hearing his own name in that sickly Southern voice makes Alexander’s fist twitch with the need to punch someone. He stops, though, and thinks back to what Angelica had said the night before. About him giving Thomas a chance, about sitting down and ironing out a compromise. He looks into the dark eyes reflecting like orbs in the light, before he huffs out an annoyed breath and marches past the Virginian.

He does not have the time, nor the energy to deal with people whose IQ’s are so terribly low, and whose taste in fashion is so fucking awful that it makes his eyes hurt.

Alexander makes his way back to his office, barking at some intern to get him a damn coffee and to tell Aaron Burr that he needed to speak with him this second damn it!

The young man nods at him, mouths a “yessir.” before scurrying away like a rat. Alexander is not dumb. He knows what people say about him. He knows that he might be one of the most hated people in the office. He is annoying, abrasive, rude, and unapologetically so. It is not surprising that all the interns hate him. The thought makes him roll his eyes. He is here do to more than be liked. He is here to succeed. Alex did not get to where he was by being kind or by being soft. He did not make it here by being weak. Alexander climbed and clawed his way up from nothing. He worked his ass off a thousand times over for this position, and like hell was he required to cater to the intern’s delicate feelings.

He collapses into his chair and rubs his fingers over his face. If he was not so desperate to get laid, he might actually cancel his date in favour of getting a decent amount of sleep for once. The thought makes him snort. If only it were that easy. Even if he ended up canceling his date, he would end up spending the time over his laptop. Unlike some people, Alexander most often had to finish his things outside of work.

He rubs his mouse across the pad to wake his computer up from sleep mode. Alexander stares blank at the word document in front of him. He has broken it down so many times, and put it back together just as many, and yet he knows it’s not near ready to go in front of the board.

Especially not since Thomas is here now.

Each time he reads through it, Alexander can hear Jefferson’s annoying drawl in the back of his mind, criticising every word in every sentence. He is at the point that all the words sort of start blending together, so he emails the document to Angelica with high importance and asks for constructive criticism, then - because he physically cannot help himself - he pulls back open the draft and continues to edit it.

He finishes his fourteenth page of the day, when Alexander finally decides that it is enough for the moment.

He ends up leaving work early at five-thirty. It is an impressive feat for him- especially considering that on a normal night he usually clocks out at midnight - or sometimes he just stays the night in his office. He has gotten to the point that he keeps a second suit in his office, just in case. And in his defense, Alexander knows for a fact, that Aaron Burr has spent his fair share of nights in the office too. Although that might be contributed more to his affair than his dedication to his work.

He leaves early today though, because he actually has something to look forward to. He makes his way back to his apartment, and spends a good hour getting ready. Alex washes his hair, manscapes, and trims his beard. By the time he is dressed and dousing on cologne, it is time for him to leave.

The restaurant is exactly what Alexander needs. It is subtle, not ridiculously romantic, and looks like it is bound to have some sort of edible food he can tolerate. Alexander straightens his button down shirt and smooths back his hair. There’s nothing worse than starting off with a bad first impression.

He takes a quick moment to pray to whatever Gods exist that this guy isn’t a complete freak. He’s desperately in need of someone to fuck and by the time they finish this date (if Alexander makes it that long) it is going to be too late to go to the club and find someone else to sate his needs. He hopes for what has got to be the one millionth time, that the guy is not some crazy right wing Republican. He is always down for a debate, but for once he is just looking to eat and then to get laid. He can save the debates for twitter. (Which reminds him to add a note to his phone, telling him to post his newest twitter thread about white supremacy when he gets home. His twitter has been lacking recently, and after food and sex, there’s nothing he will want more than a good debate. Especially one where he smashes his opponent like the scum there are.)

Alexander shakes himself out of his head, taps the back of his right converse for good luck, and walks into the restaurant.

“Do you have a reservation, sir?” The host asks him.

Alexander smiles at him, “I believe it’s under Lafayette.”

The man’s eyes run down the list before he glances back and smiles, “Right this way, sir. The other member of your party has already arrived.”

The host leads him to his table, and Alexander almost chokes when he sees the man that has thinks is Victor. He is absolutely gorgeous, curly black hair and piercing ocean blue eyes. He looks up when Alexander joins him at the table, standing up to pull Alex into a quick hug.

“You must be Alexander,” Victor murmurs in a thick French accent, “It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Lafayette and Adrienne have told me so much about you.”

Alexander smiles and returns his greeting. He sits down in the seat across from Victor, “It is nice to meet you too, Victor.”

They settle into a flirty get to know you conversation. Alexander talks about the company, explaining the intricacies that come with the job. Victor talks about his job at a computer corporation Alexander has never heard of before, and the two immediate bond over annoying coworkers that they cannot stand. They talk about how they met Lafayette, and Victor tells an amusing story about the time Lafayette almost chopped his hand up in a garbage disposal because his curiosity got the best of him.  
  
Alexander is laughing ridiculously hard when he realizes that he is actually having good time. It is kind of surprising, considering the fact that he has not had a decent date in forever. He bites his lower lip and tries to focus on his main objective of the night: getting laid.

Victor is gorgeous, and Alexander would be more than happy to make the suggestion that they wrap this up and book it back to his place. He would feel bad inviting him over before they get the chance to have dessert. So Alex internally gives his dick a pep talk, telling it to just wait a little longer.

The waiter comes back, handing the two of them a thick red and white dessert menu. Alexander settles on the chocolate cake, and Victor orders a raspberry cheesecake. The conversation continues after the waiter leaves, although Alexander is barely listening at this point. He is so tempted to just word vomit the idea of going back to his place, that instead of opening his mouth and saying the wrong thing- he just keeps it shut tight.

Their dessert arrives fairly quickly, and Alexander immediately shoves a bite of the chocolate cake into his mouth. It is warm and silky in his mouth, and he moans around a mouthful. He does not miss the way Victor’s eyes flash to his when the sound escapes his mouth.

The two eat in relative silence, a few soft comments here and there, until Alexander’s plate is empty and Victor pushes the remains of his cheesecake away.

Alexander looks across the table into Victor’s eyes and bites his bottom lip. He is really pulling out all the stops here in the hopes that it does not go to waste. Victor’s eyes narrow on his mouth and Alexander twirls a piece of hair around his finger.

“You know Victor,” Alexander purrs, “I do not live too far away from here, if you would be interesting in continuing this somewhere more private.”

The look on Victor’s face is enough of an answer for Alex. Victor pays and the two stumble into a cab together. Alexander straddles Victor’s thighs quickly, leaning forward to capture the man’s lips in his own. Alexander pushes into the kiss, groaning when Victor tangles his fingers in Alex’s hair. He threads his fingers through Victor’s curly hair and presses their lips together again.  
  
It is as his fingers run through the strands that another image forces itself into his head. Dark eyes, bushy curls, velvet suits, and snarky white smiles. A groan escapes Alexander’s mouth and he pushes himself closer to the man underneath him. The image gets progressively clearer in his mind, and Alexander has to pull back when the face becomes recognizable.

He pushes back into the kiss fiercely, trying to rid the image of Thomas Jefferson from his mind. Victor does not seem to mind, trailing his hands up the length of Alexander’s back.

The cab stops abruptly outside Alexander’s building and he tosses some loose bills to the cab driver, just desperate to get Victor inside and to get their fucking clothes off already.

The stumble through Alexander’s apartment door, tearing each other’s clothes off while trying not to break the kiss. Victor pushes him down on the bed and trails a line of hot kisses down his neck.

He feels too warm, body aching with the need to find his release. Alexander sits up, Victor spread out beautifully across his thighs, and helps him pull his white undershirt off. He trails his hands down, running across smooth, heated skin and letting his mouth follow the same trail.

It’s sometime later (minutes, hours maybe) that Alexander finally slides into the hot warmth he has been craving. The sex is perfect. Hot, hard, satisfying. And if Alexander’s mind is focused on familiar eyes, smooth dark skin, and snarky smiles when he reaches his release, well nobody needs to know but him.  

He rolls onto his back, breathing heavy and attempting to catch his breath. He ties the condom off, throwing it in the vague direction of the trash can - although he is more than sure that he missed.  
  
“There is, uh, wipes in the drawer by the bed.” Alexander motions vaguely towards the drawer in question. Victor pulls out a wipe, cleaning himself of the sticky white semen.

Alexander - full and sated - feels exhaustion rush into his bones.

“You are more than welcome to sleep over if you want,” Alexander starts - voice muffled by his pillow, “But I have to be at work early tomorrow morning.”

“I should get back home,” Victor replies, “But this was fun, Alexander, call me if you ever want to, uh, do this again.” He pulls his shirt on, coming over to press another heated kiss against Alex’s lips.

If he was not so fucking exhausted, he would want to go for round two.

He, instead, just rolls over and groans out an affirmation. Alex hears a snort in return, and watches as Victor dresses. The man stops on the way out, picking up the used condom and wipes that missed the trash, and tossing them inside. Alexander calls out a, “Night,” after him, and hears nothing in return but the shutting of the door.

He finally becomes aware of just how exhausted he is, so he pulls the comforter over his head and falls asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Their pissing contest continues for the next two weeks. Each day of work is filled with Alexander and Thomas’s uninterrupted bickering. The interns don’t even bother acknowledging the yells coming from Alex’s office anymore, it is like everyone in the office has become immune to their arguments. Alexander, on the other hand, feels like he could explode from frustration at any moment. He is tired, wired, and severely pissed off. Not to mention, his throat is sore. Both from the continuous yelling, and his scheduled meetings with Victor. Ever since they went out to dinner, they have sort of become fuck buddies. Neither of them is looking for anything serious, but they have agreed that the sex is incredible and there is no point in stopping something good. 

Alexander regrets that he could not meet up with Victor last night, because Washington had kept him late to finish paperwork that could have been easily completed by an intern on their first day. (He is starting to honestly consider the idea that Washington does not know what interns are for.) By the time he had finished the paperwork, got home, and finished his proposal writing for the night - it was time for him to come back to work.

He has not slept in at least thirty-six hours, has not eaten in longer than that. John has been avoiding him like the black plague - not that Alexander can really blame him since he was such a dick the last time they spoke - but without John’s reminders, he keeps forgetting to eat. At the present moment, he is running off two pots of coffee and half a brownie from the lounge. 

It is days like these that Alexander wishes Eliza still worked with him. He craves her motherly touch and how she never hesitates to take care of him. He is so bad at self preservation, it is an honest surprise that he has not accidently killed himself by now. 

He has got himself so riled up about Jefferson and the proposal he has been writing, that it is starting to significantly affect his concentration. He needs a nap, something to eat, and sex. Just the idea of sex makes him feel the beginning shift of arousal flood his body. It has been almost four days since he last fucked Victor, and God was it starting to show. He could feel the strain of annoyance and need everywhere. In every bone, tendon, and thread of his body. He just needed to fuck or scream, or something. He sets an alarm in his phone to remind him to leave early so he can stop by a bar on his way home, and maybe find someone to take back home with him. 

It turns out that God must really hate him - or perhaps he just has the worst luck on the planet - because at 5:22 (8 minutes before he was going to leave) Washington has an intern fetch him. He manages not to snap at the girl this time, and instead followers her back to Washington’s office silently. Alexander is aching to leave, so he prayers for the first time ever that Washington just needs him to sign a few papers so he can get on his way. 

That is, however, not the case. Alex immediately realizes this when he sees Thomas Jefferson sprawled out in one of the two pleated seats across from Washington’s desk. He is wearing this smug grin on his face, like Alex is about to get scolded in the Principal’s office. It sets him on edge and sends fire racing through his already heated blood. 

“Good Alexander, you’re here,” Washington greets him in his usual rough voice, “Please have a seat. There is a matter that I need to discuss with you and Thomas.”

Alexander obeys, sitting in the seat next to Jefferson, and crossing his arms. He has no idea why Washington requested his presence, or what this urgent matter his boss needs to speak with him is about, but he is ready to get it over with and get home with a hot piece of ass. 

“I just heard word from Adams,” Washington starts, dwelling deep into an urgent problem that Alexander could not care less about. The French were no concern of his. He was, after all, not head of foreign affairs. 

“I’m sorry, Sir, but I don’t understand how this concerns me.” Alexander interjects once Washington stops to take a breath. Jefferson voices his agreement, and Alex feels surprise corse through his stomach. He turns to face the man next to him, and Jefferson gives him a polite smile. He folds his hands, surprised, and turns back to Washington. 

“Think about the last draft of your proposal, Alexander. The whole purpose of merging branch debt to pay it off from corporate. In case you haven’t read through last meeting’s notes, the French are our best chance of getting outside investors. You can’t pay off debt without any money. Without the French backing this company, there’s no way in hell your proposal is going to get passed. Without foreign investments, they’ll be no need to merge branches. We’ll go bankrupt long before we can consider paying off any debts.”

Alexander freezes the instant the words fall from his boss’s lips. He runs through the numbers in his head, quickly arriving at the same conclusion Washington has laid out for him. He does not know how he has not realized this before.  

“Shit,” He hisses under his breath, scrubbing his hands across his face. Without the French investors, the proposal he has spent three months working on is completely and utterly useless. The thought renders him momentarily speechless. 

“There’s gotta be something we can do, right? Did Adams say why they were backing out?” Jefferson asks and Washington nods, flipping through a stack of papers on his desk. He explains the problem more in depth than Alexander really needs, and he finds himself bored and zoning out, until Jefferson speaks again.    
  
“What can Alexander and I do?”

The phrasing of his words makes Alex shiver, and that is something Alexander is never going to look into. 

Washington rubs his thumb across his chin, “I want you two to stay here tonight and figure out some way to keep them on board. I don’t care if you have to stay here all night; I just want you to figure it out. And I expect you to do it civilly. If I get another call from Margaret saying you’re yelling through the office, I will suspend you both without pay. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” They both respond at the same time. 

Washington clasps his hands together and smiles, “Perfect. You can have conference room two. Are there any interns you’d like me to ask to stay?”

Alexander pipes up before Jefferson gets the chance to, “No thank you, sir. I feel as though they’d be more distraction than help.” It is bad enough he has to stay here with Jefferson, there is no way in hell he is going to be forced to stay here with Jefferson and interns. 

“Alright, good luck then. Email me whatever you come up with. I expect a solution by tomorrow morning.”

Alexander stands up from the chair, nods at Washington and thanks him. Jefferson follows him out of the room and down the hallway to the floor’s second conference room. It was almost empty, save for a table, three swivel chairs, and a cork board. It is quite obvious that they usually use conference room one. 

Jefferson steps out for a minute and returns with notebooks, pens, and sticky notes. He sits the supplies down in the center of the table and snags a chair. He opens a notebook, clicks his pen, and turns to look at Alex, “Shall we start?”

For once, Alexander resists the urge to fight purposely with Jefferson on this. They are both on the same side for once, and they both need the French to stay on board. Their jobs could literally depend on it. He sucks up his pride, grabs a notebook, a pen, and smiles, “We shall.”

Six hours later, and they have done nothing but waste an entire notebook worth of paper and barely scratched the surface. They had created a simple plan, scratched it, made a new one with a few adjustments, and then scratched that one too. It needed to be perfect, and they just could not seem to get it there. They were so close that Alex could taste it. 

“Why are projected outcomes not enough?” Alexander groans and sets his head down on the cool wooden table, “Why can’t they just accept this?”

Jefferson remains silent, and Alexander glances up to find the man staring back at him. He looks at him intently for a few moments before Jefferson suddenly speaks, “Get up, we’re leaving.”

Alexander flusters, “What do you mean? We’re not done; Washington said we needed to finish before we can leave.”

“At this rate, we’re never going to get anywhere,” Jefferson says, and Alex can admit that he has a point, “I’m starving and you look like you're about to pass out on the ground, so let’s go eat and we can figure this out there. Staying here is just going to waste our energy and time.” Jefferson glances at his watch, “We’ve got five hours before we have to be back to work with a solution to this problem. We’re getting nothing done here, so let’s try it somewhere else. Preferably somewhere with food.”

Alexander’s stomach growls, and he realizes that it has been a long time since he has eaten anything substantial. With a reluctant shrug, he agrees and follows Jefferson out the door. The entire office is dark and silent, reminding Alexander of how much he was looking forward to not going home alone tonight. 

“There’s a bar just done the street that has a killer cheeseburger, if you’re interested?” Jefferson asks, covering his mouth with his hand as he lets out a tired yawn.

Alex nods, “Sounds fine to me.”

They walk in silence down the block, and Alexander realizes that - with the exception of a few heated topics tonight - this is the longest they have ever gotten along. He would like to think that Eliza would be proud.

The bar is a lively place named, “The Corner”, and Alexander soon realizes that they do indeed have killer cheeseburgers. They order a cheeseburger each, an order of fries to share, two shots of tequila, and a pint each. 

They end up on the other side of tipsy, and that is when Alexander gets a genius idea. He explains in his drunken slur that they can use both previous sales and projected sales to convince France to stay on board, then goes farther into depth about using their competitor's past and predicted sales as well, and Thomas agrees frantically. Jefferson ends up scribbling their plan down on the backside of a napkin, and then putting it in the center of the table. 

They take turns reading it, and adding drunken details, until they are finally satisfied with the results. Then Thomas takes a picture of the napkin and emails it to their boss with the caption, “We are a buncha geniuses!!!! Save us some quiche and we’ll bring the Rosé. ”

He starts laughing when Thomas shows him the email, and lays his hand on his coworker’s arm. He feels the strong muscle beneath it tense and he looks up into Thomas’s dark eyes. It is then that Alexander becomes aware of how drunk and horny he actually is. Thomas stares back unblinkingly, “It’s late and we’re trashed. You’re more than welcome to stay at mine tonight?” He offers and Alexander does not hesitate before accepting. 

The ten minute cab ride feels like the definition of torture. He can feel the press of Thomas’s thigh against his own, the scent of his masculine cologne is in his nose, and it makes his throat dry and his body burn with need.

The moment they get inside Thomas’s apartment and the door slams shut behind them, Thomas pins Alexander against the closest wall and starts attacking his mouth. It is sloppy and drunk, but so damn good. Alex sighs into it, his toes curling in his shoes with want and need. He pushes closer to Thomas, running his fingers down his chest and unbuttoning his shirt, pushing into the kiss with force and encouraging the man to just fuck him already. 

Thomas walks him backwards, shedding each other’s clothes with each step they take, until the back of Alex’s knees hit the bed. He falls down, naked, and Thomas climbs above him. He tangles his fingers in the soft sheets beneath him and sighs when Thomas’s lips connect to a particularly sensitive part of his neck. 

He kisses down Alexander’s chest, spreading hickies like candy on Halloween, and making Alexander’s chest heave with pleasure and the need to release.

-

Eventually, they fall back onto the bed, breath laboured and bodies full of exhaustion. Alexander uses a spare tee-shirt to clean up the come off him, and tosses it to the side of the bed, not caring about where it ends up. He curls under the covers, far away from Thomas, and falls into his drunken sleep. 

//

Alexander yawns, his eyelids fluttering softly as his body drifts into consciousness. He rolls over onto his side, stretching his arms out above him and letting another yawn slip from his mouth.  He opens his eyes, freezing when he sees the purple bed sheets he is sprawled out on. Purple bed sheets that most definitely do not belong to him. He raises his head slowly, taking in the area surrounding him. Hues of purple, a photo from France, an obnoxious purple suit jacket. 

He finally gets the courage to look at the body laying next to him. Alex takes one look at the springy black curls sprawled over the pillow before he arrives at a conclusion. The man next to him is Thomas Jefferson, which makes this Jefferson’s bedroom. 

Alexander closes his eyes and tries to think back to last night. He remembers Washington asking them to stay after, he remembers not being able to come up with a single idea, and then they decided to go to the bar. And then. 

“Oh my God, I’m gonna be sick,” Alexander groans, covering his eyes up with a hand. He peeks underneath the comforter, guilt and shame rushing into his stomach when he sees that he is naked. It confirms what he already knows. 

He had sex with Thomas Jefferson last night. 

Alexander presses his hand to his mouth and tries to take a calming breath. What in the actual hell was he thinking? Fucking the man he hates? His new coworker? And just when they were kind of getting along? He postpones his inevitable breakdown and focuses on getting out of this apartment before Thomas wakes up. 

Alexander climbs out of the bed, cringing at the dried semen on the bed. A quick search of the bedroom reveals his socks, underwear, and shirt. He finds his pants and belt in the living room, along with his shoes, keys, and phone. 

He’s got two missed calls from Lafayette and a text message from Victor. He locks his phone without looking at either of them, and quickly dresses, slipping out of the Virginian’s apartment and into the warming sun with his shoes in his hand before Thomas has the chance to wake up. 


	5. Chapter 5

In Alexander’s relativity long life (31 years, which is much longer than he had been expecting to get) he, and the people around him, have noticed a few things about him. The first thing, which Alex is proud to admit, is that his ambition and motivation to succeed are almost unparalleled. He has worked his way up from absolutely nothing, and gone farther than anyone ever thought he could. He started out in Nevis, no money, no family, no job. And he worked his ass off to get far away from that island and the memories that haunted it. Then he landed in a new country, where he knew absolutely no one, got a job and paid his way through an ivy league college. It was then that he managed to get a senior position at an up and coming technology firm, which he put his blood, sweat, and motivation into improving. And now he is here. Director of the Treasury. Senior member with enough money to throw around on stupid shit he would never need or want. So he has kind of made it. Thanks to nobody except himself and Washington. 

The second thing is that Alexander in no way ever appropriately handles a situation such as the one he is faced with now. So he had sex with a coworker? Big deal. People do it all the time. They sleep with their teachers, their bosses, their best friend’s husbands. People have sex with other people and a lot of the time it is a bad idea. But it happened, and now Alex does not know what to do. It is in situations like these, that  he does the only reasonable and rational thing: he completely goes out of his way to avoid Thomas. 

It is not like he is embarrassed, it is actually quite the contrary. Alex just does not really care. He does not care if Thomas is embarrassed, or excited, or even if he wants to do it again. It happened, and Alex does not regret it, but he is not looking to make it into something bigger than it is. And he is not looking to talk about it either. So he ignores him. Or, really, he just does not go out of his way to see or talk to Thomas. 

He has interns bring him his paperwork from Washington, he avoids the lounge area like the plaque (although that is not really uncommon for him), and he makes no move to explore the newly established “Foreign Affairs Department”. It is on the East end of the company, far away from the Treasury department, which means Alex does not have to come up with excuses about why he will not go there. 

Alex’s new plan to avoid Thomas for the rest of his life goes swimmingly until exactly three weeks after the night they had sex. (Three weeks that he has filled having sex with Angelica and Victor, and a new girl he met at Oliver’s on 5th.) 

He is in his office, feet up on the desk, and laptop in his hands when a young intern rushes into his office. The door swings open and she steps inside, hair sliding in front of her face showing how fast she had been walking. She looks familiar but, like most interns,  he cannot place her name. 

He glances at her over the rims of his glasses, “Everything okay, Mrs..?”

The intern blushes at being caught running, and tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, “Livingston,” She offers him her name, “and everything is fine, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Washington just sent me to inform you that he needs to speak with you immediately. He said it’s of the utmost importance and urgency.” She tells him, voice a touch monotonous, as if she is reading from a notecard in her head. 

He looks back at his computer, “I sent out a memo. Whatever he needs can be delivered to me here.” 

Mrs. Livingston lets out a soft cough and Alex glances back at her. She tucks her hands behind her back, puffing her chest out as an attempt to look bigger and more serious. In all reality, it makes her look like a child pretending to be their parent. “Mr. Washington informed me that you would say that, and that I should, quote, use all means necessary, to get you to go to his office this instant.”

Alexander pushes his chair back, a frustrated sigh leaving his mouth as he sits his laptop on his desk. “Let’s go then, shall we?” He asks, motioning towards the door. Her face screws up in confusion and Alex huffs a laugh, “If I’m going, then you’re coming with me Mrs. Livingston.”

“Okay, Mr. Hamilton, and you can call me Kitty.”

He pauses for a second to consider, before he opens the door for her and follows her out, “Let’s go then, Kitty.”

Washington’s office is on the third floor, and they have to stop twice to swipe their badges and get their credentials checked. It is unsurprising, and Alex is glad Washington has so much protection, but Alex a director. He thought that people might recognize him. 

Alex does not even bother with knocking on Washington’s door, instead he just grabs the doorknob, pushes it open, and steps inside. It is almost immediately that he wishes he would have called in sick today.

Washington is sitting behind his desk with his glasses falling down the bridge of his nose, which is never a good sign. Across from him, is Thomas Jefferson. More than anything, Alexander feels annoyed. He is sure that whatever Washington needs to say could have been delivered in a memo. 

Both men look up at the same time, and Alexander feels like he has the most power in this situation. He does not know how Thomas feels about what transpired between them, but at least Alex knows how he himself feels. He was the one who left Thomas’s early, he was the one that has been avoiding Thomas. He is the one in control. (Or at least, that is what he tells himself.)

“Alexander, my boy, have a seat please.” Washington’s voice is commanding in itself, drawing the attention of any room without meaning to. 

He flinches at the “my boy,” but decides not to mention for once. Instead, he walks over and takes the seat next to Thomas, leaving Kitty to stand behind him.

Washington and Thomas, who are both rich and entitled, treat her like she is not there. Perhaps Alexander was wrong, and Washington does understands what interns are for.

“Something of concern involving the both of you has recently been brought to my attention.” Washington starts, and Alexander feels white hot dread creep into his stomach. No one knew about them sleeping together, so unless Thomas said something, there should be no way that Washington knew about that night. Alexander takes a moment to try and recall any of the information that was given during their annual company sexual harassment seminar. Was it illegal to sleep with a coworker? Was it immoral? They were both directors and senior members, so it’s not like an employee and boss relationship. 

“Jay thinks that because France’s support wavered, it might jeopardize some of our American investors.” He finishes, and Alexander barely holds in his sigh of relief. So Thomas knows how to keep his mouth shut. That is good to know. 

Washington and Thomas continue to talk about the investors, as Alex quickly loses interest. He chimes in occasionally with fiscal points, but for the most part he nods his head in agreement and zones out. He is good at his job, but there is no point in having this discussion. Once he gets his proposal through, everything else will just fall into place. 

The boss eventually dismisses the two of them, and Kitty, and Alex fast walks back to his office. He has got zero interest in anything except his proposal, and now that the French are back on board, it is the perfect time to push it through the board. 

Like usual, Alexander quickly loses himself in his writing. This is the fifth time he has dismantled and reassembled his proposal, and he has to admit that it is almost perfect. The little voice in the back of his head barely has to speak out anymore, because there is nothing for it to say. There are few and far changes that need to be made, and Alexander knows that he will be able to push it through board by the end of the following week. 

When he looks up from his writing, the outside world is dark and the building is quiet. He prints out his recent draft and staples the thick pages together. Then Alexander lets out a tired yawn, and packs his computer away. He pulls on his coat and makes his way out of his office. 

Alexander walks to the East end to drop the pages off at Angelica’s desk. It is after he slides them under her door, that he notices a light on a few offices down. Curious at who is staying at work longer than him, Alex walks forward, leaning against the doorjam and peeking inside. 

It is unsurprising that he looks into the eyes of Thomas Jefferson.

“It’s late, what are you still doing here?” Alexander asks, the first words he has spoken directly to Thomas since they had sex. 

The man glances up, surprise in his features until he realizes who it is. “I could ask you the same thing, but Washington did warn me that you like to stay late.”

The underlying meaning of his words are not lost on Alex. 

“When are you leaving?” Alex murmurs. 

Thomas glances at his watch and sighs, “Probably not for a couple more hours. Foreign aid is a mess, and I have so much I need to do.”

He takes a good look at Thomas, and suddenly remembers why he wanted the other man so badly before. He is gorgeous to look at, and all Alex can think of is how good he would feel inside him. Thomas catches him staring, and his cheeks darken just enough to notice. Alex smiles at him, walking around to sit on Thomas’s desk, legs separating Thomas from the desk in front of him. 

“Are you sure I can’t persuade you to leave early with me?” Alexander murmurs, leaning forward to speak the words directly into Thomas’s ear. He sees the man in front of him shiver and that is all the encouragement he needs before he presses a kiss to Thomas’s lips. 

They are soft and sweet, just like he remembered.

It only lasts a couple of seconds before Thomas pulls back, grabbing his jacket and then all but pulling Alexander towards the door. 

//

When they get to Thomas’s apartment, Alexander wastes no time, quickly stripping Thomas and himself of their clothes. All he can think about is getting Thomas’s dick in him as soon as possible. He leans forward, kissing Thomas and threading his fingers through his hair, tugging gently. A rugard sort of growl escapes the Virginian’s lips and Alexander’s toes curl at the noise. It’s enough to make him weak and needy. The last time he had sex was two days ago with Angelica, but he can feel desperation tug at his bones. 

They fall onto the bed, Thomas on top of Alex as they kiss. Thomas trails his lips down Alex’s neck and stomach, and he sighs at the feeling. He is less worried about getting head and more worried about getting fucked, so he rolls Thomas onto his back and climbs up to straddle him.

-

This time he leaves before Thomas falls asleep. He wipes the come off, changes into his work clothes and leaves before the man can ask him to stay the night. 

He has rules for a reason, but a quiet voice questions from the back of his mind if he would break them for Thomas. 


	6. Chapter 6

They continue this sort of cat and mouse game for another week. It is a week of Alexander avoiding Thomas and Thomas avoiding Alex. 

It is three days after they had ex for the second time, that Alex finally finishes his proposal. From his perspective, there is not a thing Alex can change to improve it. He has done so much editing over the past few days that he honestly cannot remember the last time he ate or slept. 

He prints out the finished copy of his proposal and glances up to find John sitting in a chair across from him. Alex flinches with surprise. He had not even noticed that anyone had entered his office. 

“What the hell, John?” He groans, rubbing his hands across his forehead. 

John raises an eyebrow, “Are you okay? You’ve been sitting here staring into space for like ten minutes.”

He feels so overcome with exhaustion and the desperate need to feel something, that Alex goes against every instinct screaming in his body and leans across the desk to press a kiss to John’s lips. The man’s body freezes and then after a solid second, John begins kissing back, his hands coming up to tangle in Alexander’s hair. It is painfully uncomfortable with the desk between them so Alexander breaks the kiss, crosses across the room and straddles John in his seat. 

All things considered, it is a terrible idea but it just feels so damn good. 

John’s tongue is in his mouth, his hands are on his ass - pushing his hips down towards his crotch, and these little moans keep crawling out of John’s mouth. There is a million reasons why he should not be doing this, but there is a couple on why he should. 

“Go lock the door, baby.” He growls, climbing off John, pushing the papers and shit off his desk, and then sitting back on it. 

John gets up to lock the door and Alex groans at the obvious tent in his pants. Alex pulls his shirt over his head and unbuckles his trousers, pulling them off as John makes his way back. 

“Do you have any condoms?” John hisses into his ear as he trails kisses down his neck. 

Alexander twists on his back to grab a handful of condoms and his bottle of lube from the top drawer and turns back to hand them to John. (Maybe he should look into the fact that he keeps lube and condoms in his office desk.)

“You’re so beautiful,” John whispers, trailing a hand across the soft plains of Alex’s chest. 

Alex groans, “Stop talking and just fuck me.” 

He pulls John’s button up off and starts to unbuckle his pants. 

John’s lips touch his once more and all Alexander can think of is how much he is going to regret this when it is over. But at least he can enjoy it while it lasts. 

Fifteen minutes later, and John is sitting back in his chair and Alexander is once again on the correct side of the desk. 

He feels more like himself after that orgasm, but John is staring at him like a lost puppy, and he really should not have let that happen.

“Maybe we could grab a bite to eat after work?” John asks, voice barely audible and his eyes on the floor. 

Alexander feels dread creep up inside him, “I actually have plans already.” He corrects John, “So maybe another time.” 

He can see the hope and happiness drain from John’s eye and he feels nothing but impatience. Alex chances a glance at his watch and smiles, “Sorry, Laurens, I’ve got to deliver this.” He waves the papers in front of him before fixing his shirt and excusing himself. He walks away, leaving John heartbroken and mourning his pride in his office. 

Alexander quick walks to the Foreign Affairs wing, stopping by Angelica’s office on the way there. 

He knocks twice before pushing the door open and stepping into her office. Angelica is sitting behind her desk, glasses sitting across the bridge of her nose, and a manila folder in her hands. She does not even bother looking at him, “There’s no point in knocking if you’re just going to come in before I say to.”

“Sorry my dear, but I’ve got a problem.”

She finally looks up and he can see the recognition and pride in her face. “You sly dog, who the fuck did you sleep with?”

Alex drops into the seat across from her desk and rests his head in his hands, “John.”

Angelica raises an eyebrow, “Laurens? That puppy intern that’s all over you?” Her mouth curves into a wicked smile, “But there’s something else you’re not telling me.” 

Alexander ducks further into his seat, “I might have had sex with Thomas Jefferson.”

Her eyes widen and she lets out a squeal, “You did not!”

“Twice.”

She smacks him on the arm with the folder in her hands, “You fuck-boy! I love it,” Angelica pauses, “How was he? How was Laurens? Oh my God, I can’t believe this.” She sits back in her seat, looks at the ceiling, and lets out a laugh. 

“Enough of this,” Alexander rolls his eyes and stands up, “I’m actually on my way to his office, right now.” 

“You’re gonna have sex in the office?” 

Alex looks over his shoulder and winks at her, “Wouldn’t be the first time.” 

He all but skips out of her office and can hear her melodic laugh follow him out. 

He walks down the hallway, follows the curve, and then knocks on the second door to the left. There is a pause where all Alex can hear is his breath, and then Thomas’s rough voice comes from behind the door, “Come in.”

Alexander twists the door knob and pushes it open. He steps inside and his gaze falls upon the man behind the desk. 

Thomas looks delicious, his pink shirt complementing his dark skin nicely. It makes his blood travel South, just thinking about the other night. Thomas stretched out on top of him, his dark skin sliding against Alexander’s own, his hips like a pistol, thrusts deep and hard into Alex. His hands, tangling in hair, following lips, and stroking Alex to completion. It makes him want to do it again, and again, and again. 

Thomas glances up and raises an eyebrow, “Hamilton, can I help you?”

He struts forward, slipping off his jacket and letting it fall onto the ground. “You can help me, and I can help you.” He pulls his hair out of it’s ponytail, and starts to unbutton his shirt. 

Thomas’s hands go to his sides and a breath escapes his mouth as a dust of pink settles into his cheeks, “Alex.”

Alexander walks forward, and Thomas pushes his chair back from his desk. Alex let’s his shirt fall off his shoulders and straddles Thomas. He wraps his hands around the man’s neck and lets them tangle in his hair. Thomas’s hands sit low on his waist and grip tightly enough to make Alex smile. He leans forward, kissing Thomas gently and slowly. He drags it out, pulling away enough to smile against his lips.    
  
“I missed you,” Alexander says sweetly as Thomas pecks another kiss onto his lips. 

Thomas tucks a stray hair behind Alex’s ear. “No one said you can’t come visit me.”

Alex chuckles, “I like to keep things professional at work,” He leans back to connect their lips again, licking into Thomas’s mouth and sighing at the familiar warmth that floods his stomach. 

He pulls back just enough to whisper, “Whatever you’re doing, can you be done with it for today?” and then trails kisses down Thomas’s neck.    
  
“Washington asked me to get this to him by tomorrow,” 

Alexander sucks on a particular spot right above his collarbone and Alex can literally feel Thomas’s hips buck up beneath him, “But I’m sure I can finish it when I get here tomorrow.”

Alex pulls back and smiles, “Perfect, let’s go back to my apartment.”

“Only if you let me rim you first.”

Alexander scoots back onto Thomas’s desk and spreads his legs, “Well it’s not like I‘m not going to stop you.”

//

By the time they got back to the apartment, Alexander is aching with need. All he wants is to feel Thomas inside him, and to get that deep ache in his bones to go away. 

They tumble inside, hands interlocked, and then Alex is pushing Thomas towards his bedroom. The lights are off and Thomas shoves him up against the wall. He chokes out a strangled moan as Thomas all but tears his clothing off. 

Thomas pushes him down on the bed, sitting up enough to pull his shirt off. Then he is leaning back and biting his way down Alex’s throat. 

“God, I want to ride you,” Thomas groans into Alexander’s ear and all he can do is frantically nod his agreement. 

He pushes Thomas off enough to reach over and grab a condom and his bottle of pump lube that he keeps on the bedside table. 

Thomas pumps a handful of lube onto his fingers and then reaches behind him to stretch himself out while Alex rolls on the condom. 

He leans forward to kiss Alexander and a groan escapes his mouth.  

//

Alex is spent, laying on his back, curled up next to Thomas. They have been at it all night, and combined with his earlier orgasm this morning, Alexander does not think he could go again for the next century. 

He is laying there, twenty seconds from falling asleep, when his phone begins to ring from the kitchen. 

Alexander crawls out of bed, pulling on a pair of boxers, and then tip toeing to the other room. He looks at the caller ID and rolls his eyes when he sees that it is Lafayette. 

“Can I help you?” He all but hisses into the phone. “Why are you calling at ass o’clock in the morning?”

Lafayette’s voice - bright and chipper - greets him, “You’re fucking John and Thomas?”

Alex sighs and puts his head in his free hand. Damn it, he should have known that Angelica would tell him. “To be fair I only fucked John once. He was in my office today and he was looking so damn good and I just needed to feel something. It didn’t mean anything.”

“And what about Thomas?” Lafayette’s voice murmurs on the other end. 

“Thomas is just a hot piece of ass, Lafayette. We’ve fucked a couple of times, but that’s it. Trust me, it doesn’t mean anything.” He lies. 

Lafayette sighs, “Okay, is he there with you now?.” 

Alexander huffs out an annoyed sigh and hangs up with comment. He grabs a quick snack and turns to head back to his bedroom. He steps inside and the bed is empty. Alexander lays down on the bed, feeling the sheets. They are still warm but Thomas’s clothes are gone. 

He lays back on the bed and pulls the comforter up to his chin. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, yes?

That Monday, Alexander finally has to face his mistake. He knew the second it happened, that he never should have slept with John.

It is when he walks past John’s desk that the full ramifications of his actions hit him.

He sees John, sitting there on his computer, obviously hungover and upset. Alex thinks about stopping to say something, maybe apologize, but then decides against it last minute. Instead he just looks down and continues to walk past. 

He walks inside his office and let’s his face drop against the door. Nobody tells you how exhausting it is to make bad decisions. He rolls his eyes and turns around to face his desk. Alex stays there for what feels like a lifetime, before there’s a knock on his door. 

He moves to the side, pretends to be browsing his bookshelf as he calls out to the person on the other side of the door, “Come in,”

The door opens and Kitty’s face - framed by her long curls - peeks inside. “Hey Alex, Washington needs to see you in his office.”

Alex let’s out a groan, “Of course he does.” He sighs, “Did he happen to mention what is was about?” 

She shakes her head with a frown, “Sorry.”

“Not your fault. Can you get me a coffee and leave it in here?” He asks, pausing and noticing how exhausted she looks. He can relate. “If you want, you can hang out in here for a bit. Tell people I gave you an important task.”

“And if they ask what it is?” 

Alex thinks for a second, “Organize my documents or something.”

He does not miss the relieved smile she sends him on his way out. 

For the first time since Thomas came, Alex is not entirely dreading the thought of going to Washington’s office. He wonders if he can convince Thomas to come over again tonight. The sex is almost too good to be true. And now that Angelica is pursuing a man of her own and Victor is out of state, it is the only ass he has time to get. 

Alexander knocks twice on Washington’s door, and then enters. He is not surprised to see Thomas sitting in one of the chairs across from Washington. He is, however, surprised when Thomas glances over at him and then looks away. The look was nothing. Empty, cold, and distant. Alex supposes that it is a good thing, he doesn’t want anyone to find out about them. He can appreciate the other man’s acting. 

He takes a seat next to Thomas without saying anything. 

“Alright, I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news,” Washington starts, “Which do you want first?”

Alexander says, “Good.” at the same time Thomas says, “Bad.”

Alex looks over at the man next to him, who returns the glance. They hold a distant and unassumed eye contact that leaves Alexander feeling cold. 

“Well the investments look good. Not only do we have foreign investors, but our domestic ones have decided to continue and support us as well.” Washington says with a smile, oblivious to the tension Alex can feel simmering in the air. 

“The bad news is that this is going to mean that there are going to be several more long nights around here for the senior directors. ” 

“Anything it takes to help the company,” Thomas replies, his voice sincere and pleasant.

Alexander nods in agreement, but keeps silent. He learned a long time ago that sometimes it was best to hold your tongue and wait for the room to show their hands. 

Washington continues filling them in on a few things that could have definitely been summed up in a memo and delivered by an intern, or emailed, but Alexander’s too annoyed to point it out. He does not know why, but his moods shifted dramatically since he walked in this morning. 

Washington dismisses them, and Thomas is out of the room before Alexander has the opportunity to say anything. He rolls his eyes and realizes that the coffee Kitty got him is probably cold. He resists the urge to do something stupid, like punch the wall, and walks down to the lounge. It is the place Alexander hates the most, and he prays the there is no one there. 

It is, of course, almost full when he enters. There is a group of interns surrounding one of the tables and talking so loud that Alex winces. He tries to ignore them and focuses more on a quieter conversation between a girl from HR, and a girl from the technology department. 

“You know Thomas Jefferson, right? The new senior director Washington hired?” The girl from HR asks, the name automatically catching Alex’s attention. He busies himself with the coffee, but listens to the conversation. 

“Yeah, why?”

“He filled out a CRA with Martha Wales!” She continues and Alex scrunches his face up. 

“What the hell’s a CRA?” The other girl asks, and Alex cannot help but breath a sigh of relief. It is like the girl read his damn mind. 

“A consensual relationship agreement.” 

Tech girl sighs, “Damn. I had no idea he was dating anyone. What a shame, heard he is a total catch. Martha is lucky though.”

Alexander freezes. So Thomas has a girlfriend. 

Thomas has a new girlfriend. 

Okay then.

Alexander ignores the feeling creeping up his throat and turns, purposely leaving his coffee on the counter. He barks at an intern that walks in front of him, and rolls his eyes when he tries to murmur an apology.

He walks towards his office, stopping at the last minute and turning around and walking in the opposite direction. 

John is sitting at his desk with a cup of coffee in his hands, looking at something on his laptop. Alexander perks up at the sight of him, and walks a little faster. He clears his throat and John looks up. He looks annoyed at first, until he register's who is calling for his attention, and he smiles and his cheeks blush a light pink. 

Alex figures he is thinking about their time together. 

“Hey Alex, can I help you?” John asks, smiling that boyish grin of his. Bad mood forgotten. 

Alexander takes a step forward, sitting on the corner of John’s desk and spinning his legs towards him, “What are you doing tonight?”

John’s eyebrows arch, “Nothing, why?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner?” 

“Like a date?” John responds and Alexander let’s his lips pull at the side.

He nods, licking his lips, “Yeah, like a date. If you want. Since we didn’t get to go out the other night.”

Alexander sees something flash in John’s eyes, something like hope, as he responds, “Of course! Yeah, I mean,” He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, “Yeah, dinner sounds good.”

“Perfect. I’ll text you.”

He stands up from the desk, and wishes he could feel something other than jealousy. 


	8. A Time Jump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thirteen Months Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place 13 months after chapter 7.

_ 13 months later _

Alexander hums lightly, swallowing the saltiness in his throat and resisting the urge to wince. He would have thought that he would be used to the taste by now, but it still catches him off guard. He pushes the thought away, and kisses his way up Thomas’s body. It is almost completely dark and Alexander can barely see a thing, but he cannot miss the gleaming brightness of the man’s smile.  

He leans forward and puts his hands on the wall, bracketing Thomas’s body with his arms, and kissing him deeply. He moans into the kiss as Thomas’s hands trail over Alex’s ass, squeezing just a little less than too much. It makes Alex laugh, pulling back just enough to glance into the man’s eyes.

“Who knew a supply closet could be so sexy?” He whispers against Alex’s mouth, before leaning back in to kiss him gently. 

Alex returns the smile without thought, “Don’t forget who pulled your ass in here.”

He steps away from Thomas and begins to get himself put back together. He combs through his hair with his fingers, and fixes his pants. It is as he is buckling his trousers, that what little light is in the room reflects off the ring on his finger. It makes him freeze, and he squeezes his eyes shut, and concentrates on everything but the feeling of the metal against his skin. 

He might honestly be the shitiest person alive. 

Alex opens the door, but stops and looks at the man behind him. “I’ll call you. Make sure to count to fifty.”

Thomas glances up from his pants, the light shining off his eyes. “Okay.” Even as he says the words, Alex can tell her does not believe them. It always goes like this. They have sex, Alex feels guilty and avoids him for a couple of days until the craving gets so bad that he pulls him into places - like the supply closet - for a heated quickie. 

Alexander steps into the hallway and pulls the doorway shut behind him, glancing around to make sure he has not been spotted. He checks his watch, and starts in the direction of John’s desk.

By the time he gets there, it is time for them to leave for lunch, and Alex is thankful for the chance to get out of the office. There are too many reminders of the shit he has done and continues to do. It kinda turns him off on eating. He supposes that is why the phrase, “Don’t shit where you eat” was made. Sound advice, but he is two years too late to follow it. 

“Hey babe,” John greets him as he rounds the corner, leaning forward to peck him softly on the lips. 

Alex smiles back at him, “Hi,” he shoves his hands in his pockets, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, let me just-” John clicks shut down on his computer and then grabs his jacket from the back of his chair. “Let’s go,” He reaches out and intertwines his fingers with Alex’s. 

On the walk to the deli John turns to him and asks, “Have you decided on what type of flowers we should go with for the wedding? Angelica said roses, but it’s up to you.”

Alex feels the press of his engagement ring against his finger and nods, “I was thinking about roses and sunflowers?”

“That sounds perfect. I’’ll tell Angelica and she’ll get them ordered.” John’s smile widens even more as he says that, leaning over to press a heated kiss to Alex’s lips. He hums into it, licking his way into his fiance's mouth. John breaks away from the kiss, reaching up to brush some hair out of Alex’s eyes, “I love you so much.”

His throat feels dry when he responds, “I love you more.”

Alexander knows he should feel bad, and he honestly does. He feels bad that he is cheating on the man he is engaged to, he feels bad that Thomas is cheating on his girlfriend of one year, he feels bad that he does not feel bad enough to break it off. 

He wishes he could say things with Thomas were just sex. In a way, that would make it easier. Both for him, and for John. (Alex may be awful but he is in no way stupid. He knows John is destined to find out about Thomas.) And when that happens, he really wishes he could say it was just sex, but they have both got these feelings that neither care enough to name. Not to mention, being with Thomas comes easier than breathing. The kissing and the sex and the talking. God, the talking. He never thought being with someone could be like this. Their whole relationship is the easiest thing in his life, except for the fact that Alexander is presently engaged to another man.

Alexander has lost count of the times he has been with Thomas. Sexual and otherwise. The times he has told John he was working late at the office, just to get fucked over Thomas’s desk. The times he has canceled lunch plans so he could blow Thomas in the supply closet. 

The time they slept together, and Thomas groaned out an, “I love you,” and Alexander returned the sentiment more natural then anything he’s ever said to his fiance. (The same time that neither Thomas nor Alexander will ever discuss again. Things said during sex do not mean anything.) 

It is that night, when he sneaks out of John’s apartment and ends up on Thomas’s doorstep, that Alex realizes how in over his head he is. He could be back home, curled up next to his hot fiance that loves him, but instead he is freezing his ass off on Thomas’s porch. He pulls out his pack of cigarettes, a places on in his mouth, lighting it and putting the rest back in his coat pocket. He has been here for ten minutes, but he has not gotten the nerve to knock yet. 

Alexander breaths in a deep drag, before blowing the smoke out of his lungs. It disappears into the air around him, and he wishes his problems would do the same. When half of his cigarette has burned and his fingers have gone numb, Alex finally knocks on the door. 

A moment later he hears the lock turn, and then the door is opening. Thomas mouth curls up at the cigarette in Alex’s hand, so he drops it and smashes it out with the toe of his Converse. 

“Those things will kill you,” Thomas says, opening the door wider and letting Alexander step inside. He slides his jacket off and places it over the back of Thomas’s couch. 

He raises an eyebrow, “So can a lot of things. Personally, I’m hoping it’s sooner than later.”

Thomas crosses his arms and frowns, “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to see you.”

Thomas huffs out a laugh, “And what if Martha was here?”

Alexander looks over Thomas’s shoulder, “Is she?”

Thomas licks his bottom lip, frown growing, and sighs. “No she’s not.” He says and then adds on, “I actually broke up with her.”

Alexander drops down onto the couch and ignores the feelings that course through his stomach at Thomas’s words, “Now why would you do a thing like that?”

“It’s not fair to date someone when you’re in love with someone else.”

And there is that thing they do not discuss, or at least Alex refuses to discuss. Even though the words scare him, they still make Alex smile. He quietly slips his engagement ring off his ring finger and sets it on the edge of the coffee table. He stands up from the couch, and reaches his hand out towards Thomas. “Take me to bed,”

“Alexander,” The other man says hesitantly. 

He moves closer to Thomas and leans up to capture his lips in a kiss. Thomas groans into it, and Alex breaks away enough to whisper, “Take me to bed, Thomas.”

He looks into those brown eyes as Thomas’s resistance fades. “Anything you want, darling.”

Thomas’s fingers intertwine with his own easily, and then the man is leading him upstairs to his bedroom. 

//

The next morning he showers at Thomas’s house and uses the spare suit he keeps in his car. He sneaks out before Thomas wakes up, and text John a good morning text. 

To John:  _ Good morning, you looked so peaceful this morning, I couldn’t wake you up. I love you and I’ll see you at work.  _

He walks into work and John immediately walks up to him and greets him with a kiss. 

“I wish you would have woke me up, I would have made it worth your while.” John whispers into his ear, biting gently on his ear lobe. Alex feels his dick stir in his pants.

“Damn, next time.”

John lets out a laugh, and hands Alex a stack of white envelopes. “What are these?” He asks around a bite of his donut.

“Save the dates, silly.” 

Save the dates. For the wedding. Because Alexander is getting married. Right. 

“We did agree on inviting the whole office except for Seabury and King, right?” John double checks, and Alex nods. He knows he should say not to invite Thomas, but he cannot stand the thought of John putting the pieces together. 

“Yeah, love.”

He sees Thomas walk past, and cannot drag his pathetic eyes away from the hickey on the other man’s neck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Tell me in the comments ;)


	9. Chapter 9

Saturday, Alexander wakes up curled around a warm and comfortable body. It is probably a sign of his doom, that Alex’s first thought is to wonder which one he is laying next to. He scoots lower under the blankets and looks at the man next to him. To both his relief and disappointment, he sees that the body he is laying next to is John, and the sheets their sleeping on are their own. He leans up on his arm and looks at the man next to him. 

Regardless of however their relationship started, Alexander honest to God cares about him. He has seen the softness and kindness and it is like nothing he has ever known. For as long as Alex can remember, men and women alike have been nothing to him. Quick fucks in the bathrooms of clubs and one night stands that he barely remembers. He was not expecting it, and he did not want it, but John was different. John was deep fucks by candlelight and homemade pancakes the next morning. He was meeting the parents and golden proposals in Central Park. 

He rolls out of the bed and pulls on an outfit that, no doubt, will not live up to Maria and Eliza’s ridiculously high fashion standards. Alexander would change, but he literally does not have any more fucks to give. He brushes his teeth in the mirror while trying to tie his hair in a bun, but eventually caves and lets it fall hazardly down around his shoulders. 

Alex does not bother waking John up, just writes him a note to remind him of his lunch date and then kisses his fiance’s forehead goodbye. 

He grabs his wallet, phone, and keys from the archway and all but sprints out to his car. He has been a nervous wreck the past few days, and he just needs a day to get his mind off of everything that is happening. Everything he has signed up for. Alex needs the opportunity to vent freely, without worrying about giving away this huge secret of his. Maria and Eliza have shown him countless times that no matter what he does, they are going to be there supporting him. And that is the kind of support and love that gets him through the night. 

Like many times before, Alex is late to the restaurant. He figures that, by now, they have to be telling him to get their early, just so he will show up at a decently close time. Alex sees the two of them sitting outside in the patio chairs, and walks over to take the seat across from them. 

“Morning Alex!” Eliza says, voice too chipper and happy for the early morning. She looks the part too, dressed in a summer, yellow dress with pink heels. Maria has gone with her classic look, with a high low, red shirt and blue jeans. Her lips a dark red colour, curved over her bright smile.

Maria casts an approving look to her wife, and then turns back towards Alex, “Hello.”

“Hey guys, how in the hell do you always look so good?” He mutters, leaning back and letting his head fall against the chair. 

“I’ve got to impress this one somehow.” Maria says, looking over at Eliza and grinning. He loves the both of them dearly, but being with them drives him crazy with jealousy. He does not know why, of course, because he is perfectly happy. 

Eliza huffs and turns to look at her wife, “Baby you don’t have to impress me. You could dress like Alex and I would still love you the same. I don’t love you because of how you look, I love you because you are the sweetest, gentlest person I know and because you’re a badass.”

“I was teasing you,” Maria murmurs, “But, my God, I love you so much.” She leans over the arm of her chair to kiss Eliza. 

They break apart smiling, and Alexander feels something deep within him begin to burn. 

“How’s John?” Eliza says, turning her attention back to Alex. He is saved by the waiter interrupting to take their orders. Once the waiter leaves, Alexander is hoping that Eliza will have forgotton, but she raises an eyebrow at him and he knows he is not off the hook. He does not know why he is surprised she asked about him, John is his fiance after all. 

“He’s great.” Alexander replies less than enthusiastic. He knows he should try harder to convince them, act like he knows what he wants and is happy with his fiance, but he cannot be bothered to try that hard. He is just so tired. 

Maria’s eyebrows screw up and her frown deepens, “There’s something you’re not telling us.” She narrows her eyes as if reading him like a book, “You’ve been keeping something to yourself, and I can tell that it’s eating at you.”

“If I tell you guys you have to swear you won’t tell a soul!” 

Eliza’s smile falls off her face and she turns to look at Maria. “Alex if you’re in trouble or something,”

“No it’s nothing like that. Just promise me you won’t tell anyone? Please, I need to talk to someone about this before I go crazy..”

Eliza looks at the table before nodding, “Okay,”

Alexander looks at Maria who voices her agreement too. He takes a deep breath and looks at the awning above them, unable to see the disappointment in their faces when he tells them, “I’ve been cheating on John with Thomas Jefferson.”

Eliza chokes on her coffee at the same time that Alex can hear Maria’s jaw almost falls to the floor. 

“I’m sorry, you’re what?” Maria hisses, voice sharp and Alex wishes he would have also made her promise that she would not get mad. 

Eliza’s eyebrows are about to hit her hairline when she asks, “How long has this been going on?”

“I’ve been sleeping with him since before John and I got engaged.”

Eliza’s face clouds with disappointment and, worse than that, pity. “Oh Alex,” She soothes him, “Why wouldn’t you just end it with John?”

“Despite how things with John started, I honestly think I’m in love with him.”

Maria’s the one to speak next, “Okay but that’s a load of bullshit. You don’t love John, if you did you wouldn’t be fucking Thomas on the side. I love Eliza, and that’s why I would never cheat on her. You don’t cheat on the people you love. I love you Alex, but this is stupid, even for you.”

“Maria!” Eliza interrupts. 

“No, it’s okay. I get it. Tough love, good cop, bad cop.” Alex reassures her, “I just need some time to figure out what I want.”

Maria relents on that one, “Fine, but you have to hurry and make up your mind. You’re getting married in a month, Alex.”

And there it is. The reminder that he did not want.  The reminder that he so didn’t need. The reason he cannot look at the calendar on his computer. In a month, he was going to marry John Laurens, a man that he does not even know if he really loves. And in that crowd gathered there to celebrate their marriage, was going to be the man he is fucking on the side. 

“Yeah, I’ll figure it out by then.” He says, “Now let’s talk about you guys.”

The rest of the day slips by quickly, and then Alex is back in his car on his way to John’s. They had planned to have a movie night, binging comedies and ordering pizza. It was a night that Alex was actually looking forward too. He loved curling up to John on the couch and just not thinking for a couple of hours. 

He walks into the apartment, letting his keys and wallet drop down in the archway and kicking his shoes off. Exhaustion is pulling tight in his back and he craves the sweet release of sleep. He makes his way towards the bedroom and kicks off his jeans, exchanging them for sweats and one of John’s sweatshirts. 

“Hey Alex, you’re home.” John greets him, as he walks out of the bathroom. 

Alex walks over to his fiance and kisses him, letting John’s scent flood his nose and warm his skin. He breaks away just enough to sigh in relief. 

John looks at him worried, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Alex says, voice froggy, “I just missed you. That’s all.”

John kisses his cheek and lays down on the couch, patting his stomach as Alex curls up on top of him. They settle into the couch, a rerun of some stand up comedian playing on the screen. Alex has seen it a couple of times, but the jokes are good and he is too comfortable to move anyways. He yawns, curls deeper into his fiance’s body, and closes his eyes, letting the pull of sleep drag him under. 


	10. Chapter 10

Alex is sitting at his desk, thumbing through a couple pages of nonsense that Knox had sent him earlier in the week. He has been putting it off for this long for a reason, mainly because he has absolutely no comprehension about what they are saying. The sentences make no sense, and his head is starting to hurt just attempting to make sense of them. He sets them to the side, in a pile mentally labeled “Nonsense”, and figures he can ask Kitty to sort through the rubbish. 

He shakes his mouse, awakening his computer, and groans at the ten new emails that find their way into his inbox. Alexander knows that it is part of the job, but he has never been good at working with others. 

He starts at the email chain from Washington. 

From: George Washington washington.g@mountv.corp

To: Henry Knox  _ knox.h@mountv.comp.corp _ , Thomas Jefferson  _ jefferson.t@mountv.fa.corp  _ Alexander Hamilton  _ hamilton.a@mountv.td.corp _ , John Laurens _ laurens.j@mountv.ja.corp _ , Gilbert Lafayette  _ lafayette.g@mountv.ja.corp _ , Adrienne Lafayette  _ lafayette.a@mountv.ja.corp _ ,  _ Click Here to See More Recipients  _

Subject: Wedding

Senior director meeting moved to Thursday at six o’clock. Reminder that all senior directors and junior advisors (and other invited guests that I’ve spoken with) are given off the 15th for the Hamilton-Laurens wedding. However, if you take off and do not attend the wedding, one day will be deducted from your personals. Thanks and have a good weekend. 

-GW

He deletes the message and then scrolls through the rest, deleting them all. Annoyed, he composes a new email to Kitty. 

 

From: Alexander Hamilton  _ hamilton.a@mountv.td.corp _

To: Catheraine Livingston  _ livingston.c@mountv.intern.corp _

Subject: Come to my office now

See subject

Alex

Treasury Department

 

It’s less than three minutes after he sends the email that there is a knock on his door. 

“Come in,” He calls, turning his attention back to his notes. Kitty steps inside, coming to sit in one of the plush chairs across from Alex’s desk. 

“What’s up?” She asks, raising an eyebrow when Alex just hands her the stack of papers from Knox without a word. He has been using her quite often recently with help on his work, and as a results, he has grown quite fond of the girl. She is young and sassy, reminding him of himself several years ago. 

Alex coughs, dog ears the page, and looks up at her. “Sorry, got sidetracked. Knox gave me these and I can’t understand a thing he said. Can you go through them for me?”

She nods, “Of course,” and flips to the first page of words. He hates that he has to ask her for help, but there is no way he can decipher it himself, and asking Knox would be equally confusing. The guy does not make sense on paper, let alone in person. And it is not like Alex can stand the sound of his voice long enough to get the points. 

“So the wedding is a week out.” Kitty says conversationally, and Alex internally cringes. The last thing in the world he wants to talk about is his soon to be marriage. 

Alex glances up at her, trying to figure out how she knows, before realizes that he invited her and that she must have been included on the email from Washington. “Yeah, one week.”

“You must be excited.”

He huffs a laugh, “Yeah something like that,”

She doesn’t glance up from the paper, “There’s a rumor going around with the interns. I shut it down, but it got me thinking.”

Alex blinks at her. 

“Apparently someone saw you kissing Mr. Jefferson.”

Alex’s blood freezes in his veins. “Damn it, I told him we needed to be more careful-” 

He sees it in her eyes before he can even finish the sentence. He looks down at his desk, and bites his lip. How could he be so stupid. “There wasn’t a rumor, was there? You just had your assumptions and wanted to see if you were right.”

She looks down too, as if ashamed, and nods. “You can’t be mad at me. I learned it from you, and I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

He trusts her enough to know that she is telling the truth, but he still cannot believe he got fooled into admitting he was voluntarily participating in adultery by a fucking eighteen year old. 

“I just want to say that if your thing with Jefferson is in anyway more than just physical, you can’t marry John.”

Alex looks up sharply, “Well I just want to say that it’s none of your damn business.”

“He might be your fiance, but he’s my friend. And believe it or not, I care about you, and if you’re half as in love with Thomas as he is with you, then John is not and never will be enough for you. I know I’m overstepping, but I don’t want that for either of you.”

She stands from the chair, clutching the papers in her hands, “I’ll have Mary drop these back off when I’m finished.” and then she is walking out the door like nothing happened.

//

That night he finds himself sprawled out on Angelica’s bed in a white bathrobe with something called a, “Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask,” smothered on his face. She is sitting next to him wearing an equally expensive mask, sipping wine from her glass and talking about her relationship problems. 

“He just can’t get over the fact that we slept together,” She sighs loudly around a sip, “I told him that it wasn’t anything but sex but he seems so stuck on it. How’d you get your John to understand?”

And he can add that to the list of things he has yet to tell his fiance. 

Alexander scratches at the mask as it begins to crack, “I don’t know he just seemed to get it,” He lies through his teeth. 

Angelica lays back farther, putting her feet up onto a stack of pillows, “You know, I think I wanna marry him.”

Alex takes another sip from his glass and closes his eyes. 


	11. Chapter 11

Washington gives Alex the 14th off to prepare for his wedding, but he is wrought with enough guilt to force himself into work. He feels dirty and sick everytime he thinks about the wedding, and it is enough to make him question if he should really go through with it. 

Kitty’s words ring in his ear, and he knows that no matter how much they hurt, she has a point. How can he marry John when he has all these feelings for Thomas? He cannot say them outloud, but every bone in his body already knows what they are. And Alexander knows they will not miraculously disappeared when he says I do. 

It is completely unfair, but he does not know what to do. He loves John. Even though he only meant for it to be a one time thing to make Jefferson jealous, he honestly loves him. He can imagine spending the rest of their lives together, but at the same time, he does not know if it is going to be enough. 

He decides, after doing nothing for an hour, that taking a walk might help him clear his head. It is muscle memory or maybe a subconscious desire that his feet take him to the Foreign Affairs department, past Angelica’s desk and towards Thomas’s office. 

Alexander does not even bother knocking. He just pushes the door open and steps inside. Thomas glances up from his laptop, glasses on his nose, and frowns. “I thought you had the day off. Don’t you have a wedding to prepare for?”

Alex knows it is a bad idea before he even says it, but it does not stop him from groaning out,“I need you.”

He is getting married tomorrow for God’s sake. But saying it outloud makes him realize how true the words are. “Please Thomas, I need you.”

Alex walks closer, leaning across the desk to kiss Thomas on the lips. It is a desperate kiss, tongues pushing together and teeth clashing. It is good enough to make Alex’s toes curl as he pushes deeper into it. 

“You’re getting married tomorrow,” Thomas says, voice saying the million things he does not. 

Alex bats his eyelashes, “Please, baby, I need you.”

Thomas’s tongue flicks out to wet his upper lip and Alex can see his walls falling. He leans closer, looking up through inky lashes and murmurs, “Please, Thomas. God, I need you to fuck me against the wall, and then take me home and fuck me against every piece of furniture you own.”

“This isn’t fair to John, Alex.” Thomas says, pulling out one last stop before the last wall tumbles around Alexander’s feet in a storm of dust and noise.

He does not back down, though, just slides his fingers through Thomas’s hair and whispers across his lips, “Please.” and then Thomas’s lips crash into. It is so easy that it would be funny, if only Alex did not feel so damn guilty.


	12. Chapter 12

Alexander blinks and when he opens his eyes, the day has finally arrived. He has been looking towards it with equal parts excitement and dread. Whether he goes through with the wedding or lets his doubts win will be decided today. There is no putting it off, there is no point in holding back. Everything comes to a head today, whether he likes it or not. 

And, of course, Alex wakes up with a migraine from hell. He supposes that it is probably karma when he rolls over and opens his eyes, only to hiss as the bright sunlight shines into the room. John thinks he spent the night at Eliza’s, wanting to follow tradition and not see his future spouse until they meet at the altar. In reality, he was fucking Thomas. It has to be karma, because even Alex can admit how fucked up it is to cheat on his fiance the day before the wedding. 

Alexander groans at the harsh light and ducks under the blankets, tucking his head into the crook of Thomas’s neck. 

He feels the man move against him, bringing a hand to wrap around his waist. The action is so simple and done without thought that it makes his skin crawl.

“You okay?” Thomas sleepy voice greets him, and Alex pokes out from underneath the blanket. His head rests on Thomas’s chest and he is greeted with a sleepy smile and gentle eyes. Alex looks up at him through his lashes, “Just have a headache.”

Thomas frowns sympathetically and turns over to reach into the drawer by the bed. Alex rolls off him and lets the man’s long arms reach over him. He returns with an orange bottle. 

“Here, take two of these.”

Alex reads the label and raises his eyebrows, “Shit, this is the good stuff.” He murmurs, eyeing the too hard to pronounce words, “And I am pretty sure they are not meant to be shared.” He goes ahead and takes two, regardless of his own words. 

Thomas takes the bottom back, depositing it on the nightstand and then shrugging. “You’re getting married today.”

Speaking of. 

“Shit,” He hisses, looking at the clock on the far side of the wall. He was suppose to be at Angelica’s half an hour ago. “I have to go but, um, you are coming right?”

Thomas smiles and his bitterness bleeds through overwhelmingly, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Every fiber of his body is screaming at him not to turn away, not to leave, not to close this chapter. His heart aches at the thought of not seeing Thomas again, of not being able to curl up around him, to hear his laugh, or feel his heartbeat as they cuddle. 

With that pain in his chest, he turns his back to Thomas and leaves his lover behind. 

//

“And where the hell have you been?” Angelica’s voice is sharp as she ties his hair up, “You tell me that you’re going to be staying here and then you don’t show up until two hours before your wedding. What the actual hell, Alex?”

“I just had something I needed to sort out before the wedding. I’m sorry for worrying you,” He apologizes, unable to tell her the full truth. What he is doing to John is unfair on so many different levels, he supposes the least he can do is keep it sort of under wraps. 

“It’s okay,” She sighs, and he can see the exhaustion in her features. He cannot thank her enough for helping him through all this wedding shit. Once all this is over, he will have to remember to ask her about John Church. Alex has not heard anymore from her about him, but rumors gotten out that they were involved, so he assumes it is official. “Let’s just get you ready.”

An hour later, Alexander stands in front of the full length mirror and stares at his reflection. He  an admit that he looks good. His hair tied up in a classic bun at the back of his neck. His suit is simple and classic, black with a white vest and a black tie. The perfect outfit, for the perfect wedding, to the perfect husband. 

But Alex cannot help but wonder if he is the one suppose to be getting married today. Everything is perfect but he feels so out of place. Like it is someone else’s wedding and they mistook him for the groom. It feels surreal in more ways than one.

“Are you ready?” Eliza asks softly from behind him. 

He glances at her reflection in the mirror, and she comes to stand behind him. Her eyes meet his in the mirror. “‘Liza,” He rasps out, his voice sounding as broken as he feels.

She wraps her small arms around his waist and pulls him against her, resting her chin on his shoulder, “Whatever happens, whatever you choose, I will support and love you. Do what makes you happy.”

“What if I don’t know what makes me happy?”

Eliza turns him around in her arms and her eyes shine when she looks at him, “Deep down, I think you already do.”

There is a knock on the door and Washington peeks his head inside, “It’s showtime, son.”

He nods in response and Eliza releases him from her hands, blows him a kiss, and then leaves the room. 

Washington walks closer, stopping just a foot in front of Alex. He reaches out, adjusting Alexander’s tie and straightening his lapels. 

“I don’t think I’ve said it enough, but I am so proud of the man you’ve become, Alexander.” Washington murmurs to him, and Alex doubts that would be the case if he knew what Alex has been doing. 

“Thank you, sir.” He replies regardless. “Lets go,”

He lets Washington lead him from the room and then into the main sitting room of the church. The doors to the main auditorium are open and he can hear the music. He takes a deep breath, steps forward, and starts to walk down the aisle with Washington by his side. The people in the pews turn their attention to him, but the only person Alexander can focus on is John, whose already at the end of the aisle. Then he makes the mistake of looking for a flash of purple and sees Thomas standing there, dressed in his ridiculous magenta suit, with a heartbroken look on his face. 

Alex almost stops in the middle of the aisle to run to him, but Washington’s hand on the small of his back ushers him forward. Then he is at the end of the aisle and John is grabbing his hands. 

Washington takes a seat besides Henry Laurens and offers Alex a reassuring smile. 

“Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton in matrimony commended to be honorable among all; and therefore is not to be entered into lightly but reverently, passionately, lovingly and solemnly. Into this - these two persons present now come to be joined.” The priest says, and Alexander cannot look away from John’s eyes. His hands are warm in Alex’s own and he’s burning. 

“Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?"

Alexander zones out after that, the verse replaying in his head. When he thinks about someone picking him up, it is not John. When he imagines laying down next to his husband to stay warm, he is not laying down next to John.    


When he sees it, he is curled up next to Thomas. Oh my God he is making a mistake. 

The priest motions, “John your vows,” and then John is speaking and the panic that he was barely holding in comes rushing to the forefront of his head. 

“I, John, take you Alexander to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”

Shit, God, fuck, what the fuck, oh my God, he was so screwed. A pause and then the priest turns to Alex, “Alexander your vows.” 

He looks into John’s eyes, then glances past him and sees the magenta coat in the crowd. Alexander opens his mouth to speak, but then he makes eye contact with Thomas and the words just do not come out. He knows what he wants and he knows he has made a terrible decision accepting John’s proposal. Alexander stands there, staring at the man he loves - whose sitting in the crowd - and he cannot force a single word from his mouth. He stares, open mouthed, as the panic covers him completely and the weight of his actions finally sets in. 

Thomas must take this as a sign, because then he is standing up from the pew, clearing his throat, and all the eyes in the church turn towards him.

He looks around at the crowd before nervously looking at John and then letting his gaze find Alex, “I was going to wait until the “Speak now or forever hold your peace part, but I don’t think I can.” Thomas speaks with the passion of a thousand convictions, “Wait for that- I mean.”

“Alex,” Thomas breathes, eyes full of hope, longing, and the readiness to be broken. 

Everyone’s words flood back to Alexander in an instant. 

_ “It’s not fair to date someone when you’re in love with someone else.” _

_ “You don’t cheat on the people you love. I love you Alex, but this is stupid, even for you.” _

_ “Whatever happens, whatever you choose, I will support and love you. Do what makes you happy.” _

“Alexander, I have been in love with you since that moment in the bar when we came up with a plan to solve the financial problem on the back of a napkin. It feels like years ago, and it hurts so bad, but I knew loving you could never be simple, and even through all the pain, I need you.” He stops and Alex can see his eyes flood with unshed tears, “I love you and I will never stop loving you.” Thomas takes a deep breath, eyes never looking away from Alex’s, “If you have even a shadow of a doubt about getting married to John, then I beg you not to. Because even if you love him, you know that you love me too.”

Alex drops John’s hands and takes a step back. He does not even have to say anything to see the recognition on his fiance’s face. John nods, a sad and heartbroken thing and all Alex can choke out is an, “I’m sorry.” It is not enough, and it never will be, but it is the only thing Alexander can offer him.

John just nods and looks away as Alex slowly walks towards Thomas. 

The man reaches out and Alex takes his offered hand. Thomas smiles at him, a single tear running down his cheek, and murmurs, “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.” and Alex cannot help the watery laugh that escapes from his throat. He nods, eyes blurring with the tears the start to fall down his cheeks. 

“Lets.”

Thomas pulls him and they run towards the church exit and towards Thomas’s car. 

“Wait,” Alexander says and Thomas’s smile freezes, as if he thought Alex was regretting his decision. “I just,” He sighs, reaching up to cup Thomas’s face, “I just wanted to say that I’ve always loved you.”

Thomas’s smile returns and he leans forward, pressing a gentle and soft kiss to Alexander’s lips. 

They climb into the car, as Led Zeppelin floods the speakers. Thomas rolls the windows down and peals out of the church. Alex takes off the flower pinned to his suit and holds it out the window in his hand. 

Without second thought, he opens his hand, watching as the flower falls apart and blows away, being sucked into the air behind them. 

Alexander lets out a laugh, full free and unfettered. He turns to Thomas and sees a similar smile on the man’s face. 

He faces the window, letting his hair whip around his face, and smiles. He loves this, surprising himself at how completely and utterly happy he is, but  he is with Thomas so he should not be surprised. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that’s a wrap

Alex is in his office, looking through his boyfriend’s most recent changes to his proposal. They keep getting more ridiculous the farther down the paper he gets. 

His concentration is interrupted by a knocking on the door, and then Kitty opens the door and walks in. 

“Thomas wants to see you.” She tells him, dropping down into the seat across from him. “I'll cover you.” 

“Okay, I'll be back.” He tells her, leaving his office and all but sprinting to the supply closet where they occasionally meet. He knocks twice on the door, before it opens and Thomas pulls him inside. 

The lights are off, but two familiar hands slide up his thighs and come to rest on his hips, and in the shadow he can just make out Thomas’s face. 

“I missed you,” Thomas says, his voice a whisper across Alex’s face. 

“I just saw you this morning.”

“But that doesn't mean I can't miss you.” 

That gets a smile out of Alex, and he leans forward to kiss his boyfriend. It is a slow kiss, just a little too hard to be considered chaste. Alex pulls away, “You're revisions are shit.”

Thomas pecks him on the lips again, “And yet you know that I'm right.”

Alex laughs at that, shaking his head and smiling up at Thomas. “I love you.” 

Thomas’s hands rest on his cheeks, holding him close, “I know. Now get back to work before Washington fires us both.” 

Alex smiles, sneaking out of the closet without a look back. Because he does not need to look back. He already knows what he will see. 

The love of his life stepping out of the supply closet, with a look of love and contentment on his face. 

Alex gets it, because he feels the exact same.

_ fin _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for sticking with me to the end! that’s all for this one, but i’ve got plenty of hamilton & other fandom stories/story ideas that i cant wait to share with you.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr: lascivious-peach


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